Once and For All
by AmericanHoney12
Summary: True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does. They say some of the greatest love stories start from a strong friendships. Mattie Conrad and Jack Kelly have been inseperable since he saved her life years ago. She is in love with him, but he is blind to her feelings. Will the Newsie strike be the event to bring these two together? Jack/OC
1. Carrying the Banner

**Hello all! First off I'd like to thank you for clicking onto my story, I've been working on it for a while now, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a Jack/OC story, meaning Sarah will not be present as much as she is in the movie. However, this is not a Sarah bashing story because why bash the poor girl? Sorry in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors and if you see any please let me know.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the idea of the Newsies that belongs to Disney and anyone else associated. I own Mattie and her little twists on things but that is all. **

**Chapter 1**

_Manhattan, New York 1899_

_*Thud* *Clang* *Snap*_

That was what the mornings sounded like in Manhattan. The banging of doors, the clicking of locks as stores opened, and the occasional crack of someone's knuckles or spine. To everyone who resided in the city it was normal. A citizen of the city could never escape from the constant hum of noise that radiated off the place. It was a city that never slept. To some it could be an annoyance, but to others it was perfect.

Sitting on a fire escape sat a young woman. Not even reached the age of seventeen this girl had been awake more than an hour before she was supposed to have even stirred. This wasn't really a shock, however, this girl had made a habit of waking up early for years now. It was like a tradition of hers. She would wake up at the crack of dawn, walk her way to the washroom, do everything she had to, and would use the rest of her time to sit on the fire escape and think. In fact, she had done this since the ripe age of thirteen. She deemed it necessary because of the burden that she lived with over a dozen young men who would die at the chance to see her get ready for a bath. When she had been eleven it wasn't as much of an ordeal, but now that she was a young woman and her bunk mates were hormonal young men, she took it upon herself to steer from giving them any temptation she may impose on their immature minds.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as the sun began to rise. She relished in anytime she may find herself alone. Not that she didn't love the boys, if anything she loved them more than their own parents or former guardians did. They were the closest thing that she had to a family. However, the way she same it 'even your family can push you to your limits.' She used this time to think, to clear her head. She would think about how she was going to sell her newspapers that day. She thought about how she may be able to con her buddy Racetrack into playing poker with her and she could get some of his cash. She even thought of her deceased mother and absent father. But most of all she thought about Jack. Jack Kelly.

She was close with all of 'her' boys. She trusted them with her life, and would do anything she could to make sure they were healthy and safe. It was as if she had a room full of brothers who she could rely on for anything and they would depend on her as well. However, Jack Kelly was a different story. This boy was the one who literally saved her from death itself. He had pulled her up when she was at her lowest. He had saved her both physically and emotionally. She in turned saved him from a life of captivity. They had a bond that no one else could ever think to understand. It was a connection of two halves meeting and making a whole. In simpler words, soul mates. Their love for one another was rare and true. Not very often could you find two that fit so well together, but these two did.

She smiled to herself as she thought about him. She always smiled when she thought of Jack, she couldn't help it. However, not everything was as it seemed. She had a secret. A secret that she wouldn't dare share with any other soul but herself and her dead mother who she spoke to from time to time. She was in love, in love with her best friend. She was in love with Jack Kelly. It was forbidden at least in her mind. She felt disgusted with the ever growing feelings she had boiling inside her for him. She figured that she had always been in love with him. Ever since she met him, she felt this burning need to be with him. Then when he was sent to the refuge, a juvenile detention center, she felt her heart shatter at the thought of never seeing him again. She broke the law for him. She helped him escape the refuge just so they could be reunited. He was her world, but he didn't know that. Jack Kelly had no idea that his best friend was in love with him. He didn't even have the smallest inkling that she cared for him so much. That's what killed her the most. It killed her that he would never know, or never return those feelings. She would grow old, alone, and un happy because of her undying love for him.

"Mornin' Mattie." A low voice said. This startled her. As she whipped her head around to see who was behind her she clutched at her fast beating heart. She breathed in a sigh of relief when she realizing that it was only Mr. Kloppman, the caretaker of the Manhattan newsboy lodging house.

"Good Lord Klopp! You scared me to death!" She told the grey haired man before her. He let out a small chuckle that he could actually surprise one of these young kids. Kloppman loved having her around. He never had any children of his own, so having all these boys and Mattie around made him feel as though he was finally a father.

"Sorry little lady, just thought I'd ask if you wanted to help me wake the boys up." He offered. She nodded eagerly a large grin on her face. Kloppman let out a sharp laugh before he held out his hand out to her. She took his wrinkled had and climbed through the open window into the bunk room.

Sleeping soundly in their beds were all the Manhattan newsboys. Some were snoring, others were drooling, but all were dreaming. Dreaming of ways to leave the God forsaken place and start somewhere new. Most of the boys were runaways or orphans and this was their only way of income. Sure it wasn't much but the boys would rather be there than on the street. No one wanted to sell papers for their whole lives, it was just a way to survive until something better came along. As Kloppman and Mattie entered the room, the old man shook his head.

"What bums." He mumbled. Mattie giggled to herself as she watched him walk up to the bunk containing Boots.

"Boots!" Kloppman shouted. The small boy's head shot up in surprise, as did some of the other boys. The young dark-skinned boy grunted beating his pillow. Mattie rolled her eyes as the newly awakened boys began complaining and groaning.

"Skits! Skittery!" Kloppman said slapping one of the boy's foot that dangled off the side of his bunk.

"I didn't do it!" Skittery said groggily, which earned him a small slap on the cheek by Kloppman. Mattie let out a musical laugh before she headed over to the bunks that still held sleeping newsies.

"Mush!" She shouted into the ear of her smiling friend. He popped one eye open, realized who it was, and smacked her in the face with his pillow. She smacked the pillow to the floor and began poking at the light-skinned boy's bare chest.

"Do you ever wear a shirt?" She questioned, earning herself a contagious laugh from Mush. His eyes opened and he began to sit up.

"I gotta' show off what God gave me." He answered her. The covered fell off his chest revealing his toned stomach as well. Mattie rolled her eyes.

"Maybe more of us should." Kid Blink said nudging Mattie in the side with his pointy elbow. Mattie narrowed her eyes at the tall lanky boy who was always trying to get her to show off more skin.

"Blink you're such a pig." She told him smacking his arm playfully. He shrugged but shot her a smile.

"Alright carry the banner! Sell the papers! Sell the papers!" Kloppman's voice could be heard over the mumbling and grunting boys. Mattie began heading to the washroom, when she heard two raised voices.

"That's my cigar!" Racetrack's voice echoed.

"You'll steal a nudda!" Snipeshooter, one of the younger boys, retorted. Race reached for the younger boy smacking him lightly on the face, but Mattie slipped her way between the two.

"Hey bummas' we got work to do!" She told the two, hoping to defuse the situation. She pulled Racetrack up once he had his precious cigar back. She was about to give him a stern talking to about starting fights with younger kids when she was interrupted.

"Since when did you become me mudda?" Specs asked her, breathing his morning breath into her face. She gave him a disgusted glare and was about to slap her fist into his jaw when Crutchy came up behind her slipping his free around her shoulders pulling her away from the boy with glasses.

"Aw stop your bawlin'!" Crutchy told the guys.

"Who asked you?" They shouted back to him. He sighed releasing his hold on Mattie's shoulders.

"Thanks Crutch." She said to her friend who was leaning on his crutch. A large goofy grin spread across his face, which made her smile even though she had just almost been in a fight.

"Not a problem Dimples." He said, using her rarely used nickname. When she had become a newsgirl the boys deemed in necessary that she had a nickname, even though she already had one. Her full name is Matilda Rose Conrad, and she typically goes by Mattie, but now and then the boys will call her Dimples, the nickname she got because of the huge craters in her face that surfaced when she smiled. Mattie made her way to the washroom where most of her friends weren't decently dressed. She didn't exactly mind, it's not like she was looking or hadn't seen it before.

"Changing here!" Skittery's voice yelled in her ear as she passed the boy.

"Calm down Skit's I aint' looking at ya'!" She told the typically nervous newsie. She walked up to one of the mirrors and looked at her appearance. Her dark brown hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders. Her skin was tanned, from years of being in the sun and her Spanish heritage. She was thin, not a unusual feature of newsies, and sometimes she would give her meals to a smaller child who didn't have enough money for dinner that night. Her eyes were arguably her best feature. They were big and dark brown. In simpler terms the girl was beautiful, even though she never saw herself as more than simple. She was humble about herself, never seeing the true beauty that was inside and out. She was modest wearing large button up shirts, and trousers that were actually made for small boys. She never felt feminine, only owning one dress that was old and faded. She sometimes thought about owning a nice dress, shoes, and maybe jewelry, but then she realized she was a poor orphan whose only chance at obtaining these things would be to marry a rich bachelor. Someone she didn't love, because they would not be Jack.

"Morning." A voice said jolting Mattie from her thoughts. Her eyes travelled from her from herself and up to see Jack smiling at her in the mirror. She sent him a side smirk before turning to face him so that her back was pointed at the mirror and the sink. Her eyes scanned him quickly before meeting his eyes again. He was in his usual attire, his hair tousled from sleep and his muddy brown eyes were sparking with adventure.

"Morning." She responded praying her voice didn't come out shaky.

Jack was at least a head taller than Mattie and always had to look down when he spoke to her, but it was always worth it. Jack had always thought Mattie was pretty, but over the last couple of years he finally saw how beautiful she really was. She was no longer the fragile little eleven year old her found starving in the streets. She wasn't even the thirteen year old that helped him escape the refuge. She was a beautiful young woman that he cared for more than his own family.

"Wanna' help me shave?" Jack asked. She simply nodded grabbing the cup with the shaving soap in it. She took the small brush and began painting his face with the foaming soap.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her. She smiled as she took the razor blade and began shaving his already almost hairless face. She loved that he trusted her so much with a blade near his neck. Most of the boys would have said no to her help. As Blink would say '_No girl can shave a man's mug right,'_ but not Jack. He had the utmost confidence in her skills.

"Just fine. How about you?" She asked him meeting his eyes once before focusing on her work. He smirked at her.

"Just fine." He repeated her response, causing her to smile. They were silent after that, letting her finish. He studied her face, noticing that a small wrinkle formed between her eyes when she squinted and the way her tongue stuck out slightly as she focused. She felt his eyes on her, but she didn't think much of it. She couldn't let herself be hopeful for something to happen between them. If she did, it would only cause heart ache.

"How's that?" She asked once she had finished. He took a towel off the nearby sink and wiped the excess soap of his face. He then surprised her by leaning in, placing both hands on either sides of her on the sink. He leaned in over her shoulder looking in the mirror her back was facing. She felt her heart speed up at the closeness of their bodies. He was so close that she would bet he could hear her fluttering heart. She took a small breath breathing in his scent. Tobacco and ink, a surprisingly comforting scent. However the moment was short-lived because he pulled back, way too soon for her liking. He looked down at her sending her a dazzling smile that almost made her legs buckle.

"Perfect as usual." He told her. She simply nodded not trusting herself enough to speak without stuttering. He was about to say something else but was interrupted when Racetrack came up putting his arm around Jack.

"C'mon Cowboy! We got papes to sell!" Race said excitedly. The two boys walked out of the washroom leaving a dazed Mattie. She took a deep breath attempting to calm down her heart. She was grateful for Racetracks interruption. Anymore of that and she would have been as red as a beet. That was the first time Jack had really been that close to her besides short friendly hugs or innocently placing his arm around her shoulders. The way he looked at her, made her heart melt. She had kind of asked for it though. She had asked if she had done a decent job and she was in his way. It was times like this that she wished she wasn't in love with him. It only made things harder for her.

"I saw that." A voice said. She looked up to see a very amused Mush staring at her from the doorway of the washroom. It had just occurred to her that all the boys had left, and she was alone in the washroom except for Mush. He stood there sending her an all-knowing glance.

"Thank God you finally put on a shirt." Mattie said as she headed toward the door. She didn't want to explain what just happened. She was getting too worked up over nothing. Mush chuckled but let it go that she ignored his comment. The two rushed down the stairs and were almost out the door when Kloppman called her name. She spun around to find her light brown cap dangling on the tip of Kloppman's index finger. She ran up to him and took it, placing it on her head.

"Thanks Klopp. I'm always losing that thing." She commented.

"Yes we know. Let's go before the others get too far ahead." Mush said tugging on Mattie's elbow. She called a rushed goodbye to Kloppman before she let Mush drag her from the lodging house to the nun's cart. They divvied out drinks and bread to the 'blessed children.' One of the nuns eyed Mattie up and down, obviously appalled by the fact that this girl was wearing men's clothing. The nun shook her head but sent her a loving smile. She figured that Mattie had no other choice. A dress would not be a suitable uniform for the line of work Mattie was in.

Once the newsie's bellies were full they took off doing flips, cartwheels, anything that they could get off their excess energy with. Mattie rolled her eyes at the fun-loving boys that she loved so dearly. At some point she had found herself riding on Blink's back. He carried her all the way to the World distribution center, loving that he was holding her thighs to keep her up on his back. Once they arrived she slid off his back and joined with the other newsboys outside of the gates. She slipped into her spot next to Jack. He grinned down at her and leaned his arm on her shoulder.

"Bout' time you showed up. I was beginning to think you and Blink eloped or something." Jack said with a chuckle.

"Ewww." Mattie groaned, childlike.

"Hey!" Blink protested, earning a burst of laughter from the boys. Suddenly the boys became silent, which worried Mattie. They were never quiet, unless… She looked up to see two boys about her age maybe older approaching. The Delancey brothers as they were popularly called. They were the two beloved nephews of The World's newspaper distributer Mr. Wiesel, aka Weasel. The brothers, Oscar and Morris, were known for causing trouble, especially with the newsies. Mattie especially hated them, and had slapped Oscar at least a couple of times because of his foul sexual references.

"Dear me! What is that unpleasant aroma?" Racetrack said wafting his hat in front of his nose. "I fear the sewers may have backed up during the night?"

"Nah it's too rotten to be the sewers." Boots called out. The boys began laughing at the irritated faces of the Delancey's.

"Yeah, it must be… the Delancey brothers!" Crutchy added followed by a howl of laughter. Oscar sent a glare to Crutchy, and grabbed a younger boy by the shoulder.

"In the back you lousy little shrimp." Oscar demanded tossing the kid to the ground. Anger coursed through Mattie's veins. She immediately bent down and gently pulled the boy to his feet. She pulled him to her side and sent a bone chilling glare Oscar's way. Of course, he smirked believing her hatred for him was an act to play hard to get.

"You shouldn't be calling people lousy little shrimps Oscar." Jack began. " Unless you are referring to the family resemblance to your brother here."

The boys laughed again, and Mattie's glare was replaced by an amused smile. Morris stood there fuming, but seemed confused by the insult. Racetrack stepped forward his hands out.

"Five to one Cowboy soaks 'em. Who's betting?" Race suggested earning different answers from the boys.

"Race." Mattie scolded grabbing her friend's arm. " Don't get him started."

Race brushed her off. Mattie hated when the boys got into fights. She know they could take care of themselves, especially Jack, but she always had to clean up the mess. Then there was the fact that she always worried about them, no matter what they were doing. Not that Mattie would back down from a fight when it came to someone she cared about, but she didn't want her boys getting into trouble. One wrong move and they could be in the refuge, and she didn't want any attention on the newsies because they could find Jack.

"That's right, that's an insult." Jack said leaning into Morris' face. "And so it this."

Jack swiftly knocked Morris' hat off and then ran away. The Delancey's followed suit, pushing past the boys to chase after Jack.

"Jack!" Mattie yelled worry laced in her tone. Her voice wasn't heard though, over the cheers of the newsies.

"You're going to get yourself hurt!" Mattie tried again, but Jack was long gone. She leaned against the gate watching in semi horror semi adoration at her best friend. He hadn't gone far and she could still see the outline of him from her place. She watched as Jack crouched under a carriage and up under an awning of a storefront. He then swung down kicking the brothers square in the chest. She winced slightly at the impact, knowing it probably knocked the wind out of them. As Jack began running away again she saw him run into a boy who looked about their age and a younger boy beside him. They shared a few words before Jack was off again. He came back over to his friends, Mattie meeting him halfway.

"You're an idiot." She mumbled. He shook his head, that wasn't the first time she had said that.

"I'm fine Dimples." He told her tossing his arm around her shoulders. Her heart seemed to skip a beat at his touch. "You worry too much."

"I have to worry for the both of us." She stated. He opened his mouth to retort but soon the two plummeted to the ground. Mattie fell with a 'oomph' Jack practically on top of her. She blushed at the contact, but he didn't seem to notice because he was off her in a second and kicking at the Delancey's who had now brought Mattie into their little scuffle. Mattie scrambled to her feet and was about to land a punch of one of the brothers when Racetrack grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the sidelines. She of course grumbled but he knew that Jack would want her out of the fight. Jack dodged a punch from Oscar grabbing him and waited for Morris to make his move. Morris ended up punching Oscar in the face instead of Jack, which the newsie had expected. He dropped Oscar and went over to check on Mattie.

"You okay?" He asked her looking her over for any bumps or bruises. She looked fine, but he had to be sure. He always picked on her for being a worry wart, but he was just as bad when it came to her. He knew she could handle herself, but he felt the need to protect her.

"I'm fine Cowboy." She said, repeating his earlier statement. "You worry too much."

"Cute." He said pulling her into a quick hug before daringly climbing the gate of the distribution center. Mattie rolled her eyes but smiled any way. He was insane, probably one of the most idiotic people she knew, and she was hopelessly in love with him.

**So there it is the first chapter. Please review, no flames please, but if you have any comments/questions/concerns please review or feel free to message me. **


	2. Moving On

**Yay I got reviews, which I was really surprised at. I just want to thank everyone who did review of follow my story, it really means a lot. So I have most of this story written out already and will be working hard on it, especially today since I have nothing to do most of the day. There's also going to be a bit of a one sided David/OC in this story, just a heads up. Enough of my babbling, on to chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Newsies, nor will I ever.**

**Chapter 2**

The gates finally clicked open letting the very excited newsies inside. Jack reached for a rope that hung nearby, and swung down to the front of the line. He landed right in front of Mattie who let out a huff of annoyance. He turned and smirked before heading up to get his papers.

'_show-off,"_ she thought to herself as she made her place in line behind Crutchy. He turned to her giving her a smile before stepping aside.

"Ladies first." He offered gesturing for her to skip him in line. A large smile spread on her face. She loved when the boys actually treated her like a woman instead of treating her like one of the guys. Sometimes the boys just forgot that she wasn't a newsboy like they were. She was in fact a newsgirl, but she was tough, something the boys weren't used to in other girls. She did her best to be an equal to them even though society said that she wasn't. The boys never treated her any less because of her gender, at least most of the time.

"Why thank you Crutchy." Mattie said to him shuffling up behind Racetrack. Crutchy was about to speak again, but was interrupted by an Italian voice.

"Lady? I don't see a lady." Race snickered. His response made a couple of the other boys chuckle as well, but Mattie wasn't laughing. She knew Racetrack was kidding, but that didn't mean she liked what he said. With a lot of her strength she hit him on the back of the head, knocking his cap off.

"Ow!" He whined, rubbing his now injured head and reaching down for his hat. Mattie shrugged and smiled innocently.

"You should probably start thinkin' before you speak bone head." She told him, which resulted in several laughs from the boys, the loudest being Crutchy's.

"Next!" Weasel called as he sent Jack on his way with his papers. Race sent a glare to Mattie before going up to the paper distributor. All of his annoyance faded as he put on a charming façade to appeal to Weasel.

"Good morning your honor." Race began. "Listen, do me a favor will you? Spot me fifty papes. I got a hot tip on the fourth."

"It's a sure thing?" Weasel asked.

"Oh yeah. Not like last time." Race reassured. Weasel gave him a look but gave the papers to Race anyway. Mattie rolled her eyes at her friend. There was no way that Race would ever pay off his debt with his track record. She walked up to Weasel and slapped her money on the counter.

"Seventy five papes!" Weasel called over his shoulder. Morris passed Mattie the papers and she couldn't help but gag a little when he shot her a wink. She took the papers and took a seat between Racetrack and Jack. She opened up one of her papers and began skimming through. She had to figure out what she was going to say today to get her more money.

"Anything good this morning?" Race asked no one in particular. Mattie's eyes found an interesting headline.

"Baby born with two heads." She told him. He let out a scoff.

"Must be from Brooklyn." He said. Mattie let out a small laugh before nudging her Italian friend with the big mouth. Mattie then looked to her left about to say something to Jack but instead saw a younger looking boy sitting next to Jack. He was cute that's for sure. He was young, no more than eight she figured. The boy felt eyes on him and looked up at Mattie. She sent him a smile, which made him blush before looking away. She laughed to herself, she had always loved kids.

"Are you accusing me of lying kid?" Weasel's booming voice echoed. Mattie's head snapped to the side to see a new kid standing at the counter. Weasel looked angry, and the new guy looked nervous. She had never seen him before, or at least she thought she hadn't. She mostly could only see his back.

"No… I just want my paper." The newbie said, no power behind his voice. That's when Jack hopped up and sauntered up to the counter. Mattie watched as he thumbed through the papers counting silently. She bit her lip when she saw his face scrunch up in determination. _How could someone be that handsome all the time?_

"Ah, it's nineteen Weasel." Jack said over the commotion. "It's nineteen, but don't worry it's an honest mistake. I mean, Morris can't count to twenty with his shoes on."

Everyone burst into laughter at Jacks comment. Morris lunged at Jack through the bars but couldn't reach him. Jack wasn't even the least bit effected by Morris' threatening stance.

"Alright, get outta' here." Weasel said handing another paper to the new kid.

"Hey Mattie, spot me two bits?" Jack asked sending Mattie a heart thumping smile. Even if she didn't want to give him the money she could never say no to that face. She tossed him the coins which he caught effortlessly.

"Thanks another fifty for my friend here." Jack said patting the new kid on the shoulder.

"I don't want another fifty." The newbie said. Mattie eyed him suspiciously. No newsie would pass up free papers. She stood getting a better look at the guy. She defiantly had never seen him before. He was about her age, she supposed. He was handsome she had to give him that. Not as good-looking as Jack, but he wasn't ugly. He wore typical newsie attire, most of it being new and clean. She imagined that he was from a middle class family.

"I don't want your papes." The boy said following Jack down the steps. "I don't take charity from anybody. I don't even know you, I don't care to. So here are you papes."

After listening to the boy talk, Mattie could tell the boy was educated. He spoke well. Even he made the word _papes_ sound like it was being said by a high-class socialite. A small crowd had gathered around Jack and this new kid. Mattie stood her distance, behind Jack but not swallowed by the crowd. The young boy she had seen earlier push his way through the crowd to stand next to the older new guy.

"Cowboy, they call him Cowboy." The boy said looking up at the older one. Jack smiled at the kid. He would never admit it but he loved kids. He felt the need to protect young kids who couldn't stand up for themselves. He must have learned it from Mattie, because before he met her, he only cared about himself.

"Yeah… that and a lot of other things. Including Jack Kelly, which is what my mudder' called me." Jack explained. "What do they call you kid?"

"Les." The boy replied. "And this is my brother David, he's older."

"Oh no kiddin'." Jack said not really interested. "How old are you les?"

"Near ten." Les replied. Mattie couldn't help but smile at the enamored face of Les. He was so excited that Jack was talking to him. David obviously was not. Mattie studied him, he looked irritated. She could understand. From the looks of it Jack was digging his claws into Les and David didn't appreciate it. David must have felt eyes on him because he looked up. She looked away trying to make it seem like she hadn't just been staring.

That was the first David had actually seen her. She was pretty to say the least. She wasn't like any girl he had ever seen before. He was a little flustered that she was wearing boys clothing. He'd never seen a girl who wasn't wearing a dress or skirt. He could still see the curve of her small waist through her bulky shirt, and felt himself blush at the thought. He figured that girl newsies were rare at least in Manhattan.

"If we are gonna' be partners-" Jack began, but that was when David came back into reality.

"Wait, wait!" David practically shouted. "Who said anything about partners?"

At the word partners Mattie felt herself heat up with anger. For years she and Jack had been selling partners, splitting fifty-fifty what the made. Now some newbies come along and he was going to drop her like yesterday's headline. Her mouth formed into a tight line as she tried to keep all the things she wanted to say contained.

"Well you owe me two bits right?" Jack asked. David nodded slightly "So I'll consider that an investment. We sell together, we split…" Jack continued, but Mattie didn't stick around to hear the rest. She pushed her way through the crowd going barely unnoticed. She shook her head side to side in anger. She thought she knew Jack better than that. She thought that their relationship was special. Her heart ached the further she travelled away from The World, but she didn't stop. She felt cheap, like she wasn't good enough. She stopped suddenly thinking things through.

_Why am I so angry?_ She asked herself. She had sunk so low that she had become completely dependent on Jack. How could she not be though? Ever since she had become a newsgirl Jack had been by her side, excluding those few months in the refuge. She didn't know anything else. She angrily ran a hand through her hair. She was never going to survive if she depended solely on Jack. She knew that he had no reason to stick around with her constantly. He wasn't in love with her, _she_ was in love with _him._ Jack had nothing tying him to her. She shook her head once more before trekking on. She would show Jack Kelly that she didn't need him. She would show herself that she didn't need him. She had to, or she would never move on.

* * *

Mattie knew exactly where to go. The fighting ring was the perfect place to sell. All she had to do was say the right headline passing the right drunk and she would make some money. She placed a smile on her face as she called out phony headlines to the people who were engrossed in the hand to hand combat going on in the ring. She was doing exceptionally well for her first time alone. Using all of her charm she even conned a couple of young bachelors to buy one from her.

_See, you don't need Jack._ She told herself as she pushed through the crowds of people. She felt an odd sense of pride with each paper she sold, all resentment of Jack leaving her. Maybe this was a good thing for her. She could finally do things on her own without having to look to Jack for guidance.

"Hey sweetheart! I'll take a pape." Someone shouted at her. She turned to see an older man, probably in his mid-forties. He had obviously been drinking, she could tell from the sheen of sweat on his forehead to the wavering sway of his body. She put on a fake smile as she headed towards him. It didn't register that this may not have been a good idea until she was close enough to him. He handed her a coin and took a paper. She was about to leave but he grabbed her arm stopping her in her tracks. She looked down at the hand that was holding her in a bruising grip. A wave of panic arose in her stomach.

"I'll give ya' more if I can get a little kiss from ya'." He suggested, the alcoholic scent of his breath hitting her face. She swallowed the bile that rose to her throat. She had only been kissed one other time, and that was by Spot Conlon the Brooklyn newsie's leader. She hadn't expected it, and once it had happened she had stomped on his foot and slapped him hard on the cheek.

"No thank you." She told the man sternly and tried to pull away by his grip tightened. She pulled harder but to no avail. He was now dangerously close to her, too close for comfort.

"Just one little kiss." He said trying to be seductive, but all it did was make Mattie even more uncomfortable.

"I said no." She told him, using all the power she had behind her voice. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get him to release her, but he wasn't budging.

"C'mon sweetheart don't be like that." He cooed taking a step closer.

"I'll scream." She threatened. His response was a chuckle, but when he looked at her, his eyes were dark.

"Do it, I dare you." He said evilly. She shuddered and let out a shaky breath. _Jack, where are you?_

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe?" David asked Jack as they neared the fighting ring. David had never seen so many people in one place before and he had lived in Manhattan all his life. A lot of the men were drunk and had scantily clad women on their arms. David knew his mother would have a fit if she heard he had taken Les down there, but he didn't really have a choice. Jack knew what he was doing, and from the looks of it he was pretty good.

"Oh yeah, Mattie and I come down here all the time." Jack replied. Mattie, he had found was the girl at the distribution center. From what David gathered, Jack and Mattie were close. He saw the look on Jack's face when he realized that Mattie had left without him. A flash of hurt had covered his features, but he seemed to brush it off. David noticed that when ever he would ask a question, some way or another Mattie was brought up. It seemed to him that Jack was a lot more worried about Mattie then he first led on.

As David and Jack called out headlines, Jack teaching David how to exaggerate, Les found himself doing quite well with his acting. People seemed to fawn over his ill seven-year old act. They caved and bought his 'last pape.' At one point someone gave him a quarter for having a sip of beer. The stuff tasted awful, but he figured Jack would be proud of his accomplishment. He was about to find David and Jack when he heard something to his left.

"I said let me go!" A female voice called. It was the girl from the distribution center. Mattie is what Les believed they called her. She was with an older man, who had her pressed against a wall and she seemed to be fighting with all of her might. Les realized then that something was wrong. He sprang forward-looking anywhere for Jack or his brother. They would know what to do.

"Jack! David!" Les shouted, running through the crowd. People looked at him or mumbled obscenities as he pushed past people but he didn't care. He had to help Mattie because it was the right thing to do. When he finally found Jack and David, Jack was getting into the fight, while David just stood there uncomfortably.

"Jack! I gotta' tell ya' something!" Les said, but Jack barely acknowledged the boy. Les turned to David.

"David there's something impor-" Les began but David stopped him.

"Wait hold it. You smell like beer." David said sniffing Les' breath.

"This guy bet me I wouldn't drink some, but I got-" Les started again but was again interrupted.

"Les, you can't drink on the job. It's bad for business." Jack said amused by the kids antics.

"You shouldn't be drinking at all." David intervened. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Lighten up Davey." Jack said standing.

"Guys!" Les tried to gain their attention, but the two older boys began to bicker. Les did everything he could to get their attention but they just shrugged him off. A pit formed in Les' stomach as he realized they were wasting time. He had no idea what could be happening to Mattie at that moment, but he knew it wasn't good. So with all the voice Les could muster he shouted.

"Mattie is in trouble!" Came out of the little boy's mouth. Both Jack and David's heads snapped down to look at Les.

"What?" Jack asked urgently. He was hoping he had heard wrong. The words 'Mattie' and 'trouble' worried him.

"Mattie. I saw her with this man. She told him to get off her but he wasn't listenin'." Les explained.

"Why didn't you say something!?" Jack asked outraged. Les threw his head back and let out an exasperated breath.

"Where were they?" David asked calmly. Jack didn't wait for the answer. He turned on his heel and began shoving his way through the crowd. His eyes scanned over every single person in the place. His blood began boiling at the thought of anyone laying a hand on her. He had no idea what had happened or what was going on. He should have gone to find her before or made her stay with him. He felt guilty. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her.

**Much shorter than the other chapter but I thought that was a good place to stop. Remember review please! :) I posted my tumblr and youtube on my profile check out my Trailer for this story :) **


	3. Beautiful

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies, Disney does!**

**Chapter 3**

Mattie pushed and shoved on the man, but she found that only made him angrier. She felt tears prick at her eyes. The thought of what could happen to her had reduced her to tears. This man had made her break her vow to never cry again. She hated the feeling of weakness, and she believed crying showed weakness. She never wanted to feel like the frightened little eleven year old who had just lost her mother again. So she had vowed she wouldn't cry again, but now her fear of what this man was capable of had made the tears form. She was terrified, another thing she hated. She felt like a weak child who was at the mercy of the world.

_Jack. Why didn't I wait for Jack? _She asked herself. If she had stayed with him, or maybe had gone with someone else she wouldn't be in this situation. She had been emotional, and acted on a whim and look where it got her. She had never imagined that anything like this could happen. She remembered her mother speaking about men, and how there were good ones, then there were bad ones. Men were supposed to protect women, not use their strengths against them. However this man must not have gotten that information, or the alcohol was clouding his judgment. Mattie stopped fighting. She didn't have the will to fight anymore.

Suddenly the man let out a loud laugh believing he had won. She looked up at him with a glare, but was pleasantly surprised when he loosened his grip. She took her chance and freed her hand bringing it up and punch him hard on the cheek. She smirked at the satisfying sound of flesh on flesh. He was baffled, turning his face back to her. He hadn't thought she would or could punch that hard. However in a matter of seconds his state of shock dissolved into pure anger. His face turned red and his body began to shake with the fury boiling inside him. Mattie's eyes widened at this new side. He wasn't interested in kissing her anymore, he was going to hurt her. He brought up his hand and with a quick flick of his wrist he slapped her across the face. Hard. So hard that it knocked her to the ground where she narrowly missed hitting her head on the wall beside her.

She lay there, her hand holding her stinging cheek and tears streaming down her face. She looked up at her attacker, who had an angry smirk on his face. He took a step forward about to grab her again, but instead he was knocked to the ground himself. Mattie gasped as her rescuer began beating on the man who had just stroke her. At first she was frozen trying hard to figure out who it was that had saved her, but when she caught sight of a red bandana around the new man's neck she knew exactly who it was.

Jack was beating the life from this man. After witnessing this man hit Mattie, all he could see was red. He lost it, feeling better with every punch he landed. He could see blood all over the man's face, and Jack heard the crunch of his nose. He didn't stop, he couldn't. He didn't care that hurting this man was hurting his hand or that anyone was watching. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of him, because he deserved it. He deserved to be hurt, for even looking at Mattie wrong.

"Jack! Jack please stop!" Mattie wailed as she stood. She took the few steps toward Jack and placed her hand on his shoulder. At the contact Jack stopped. He sat there, straddling the man's chest , blood all over his hands. He sat there for about a minute before finally standing. The man groaned in pain, but didn't speak. Jack spit at him.

"If you _ever_ touch her again… it will be the last thing you do." Jack threatened before landing a good kick into the man's ribs. He turned where Mattie stood. She had removed her hand from his shoulder and she stood there dusting herself off. She didn't meet Jack's eyes, but she knew he was staring at her, expecting an explanation. Neither spoke for a while, but he soon grabbed her arm gently and led her away from the scene. He stood there for a few seconds, running a hand through his brown locks.

"Let me see your face." He finally said. She made no move to do as he said so he took a step forward. He gingerly took her chin in his hand and turned her face to assess the red mark on her cheek. It was sure to bruise, but Jack didn't believe anything else was wrong. She would be ok, she always was. She had always been tough, which he admired her for, but sometimes she was too tough for her own good. She couldn't just keep those emotions bottled inside, and he knew that. He sighed to himself when he realized she was not going to speak or look at him.

"What in God's name were you doing out here alone?" He asked her, irritation clear in his tone. She didn't speak, but her eyes did flicker up to his. She felt a wave of different emotions fall over her. She was angry at Jack, the man, herself. She was deeply sad by her actions. Most of all she felt disappointed. She had put herself in danger, resulting in Jack having to save her.

"Dammit Mattie." Jack muttered rubbing the back of his neck. "You should have gone selling with someone."

At that Mattie's head snapped up. She met his eyes then and he could see the fire in them. She couldn't believe that he was blaming this whole situation on her. If he would have stayed true to their selling partner deal she wouldn't have gone by herself.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked, not expecting an answer. "No te puedo creer! Esto no es mi culpa! Me dejaste para algunos chicos nuevos-" (Translation: I cannot believe you! This is not all my fault! You left me for some new kids-)

"Hey now! You know I can't understand you when you start talking like that!" Jack reminded her. She took a deep breath before speaking again, this time in English.

"I was going to sell with my selling partner of almost four years, but he left me for two new kids and he didn't even bat an eyelash!" She practically shouted. He ran his hand over his face before letting out a loud sigh.

"I was still gonna' sell with ya'." He told her. "I just wanted to show them the ropes ya' know?"

"You are so full of shit Jack Kelly! You saw a better way to get money and dumped me out on the street." She said, her feeling of betrayal seeping through her voice. He hadn't expected her to be so upset. Sometimes Jack forgot just how emotional Mattie could be. She still had feelings and he had hurt them. He had hurt her, and that was the last thing he had wanted to do. The two stood there silently for a while. No one spoke or looked at one another. When he finally looked at her he saw a single tear falling from her eye. She quickly wiped it away, praying he didn't see it.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She hesitated not knowing what to say. She wasn't okay. She was anything but okay. She was hurt, and betrayed. However, she was going to do everything in her power to act as though she was okay.

"I'm fine." She lied. He saw right through the rouse.

"Mattie-" He began.

"I said I'm fine." She blurted out finally meeting his gaze. In his muddy brown eyes she saw the apology that he wouldn't say. She knew he was sorry, but Jack wasn't one for apologizing.

"There you are." A voice said. David walked up Les in tow, not realizing that the two best friends had just had a very heated argument. "Hey are you alright?"

"I'm fine ok?" She spat. She didn't want to say it again or she knew that she wouldn't be able to hold it in anymore. She looked to David who was startled by her tone. Her face softened when she realized he was just honestly wondering if she was alright.

"Sorry… I'm fine." She said softer than before. "David right? I'm Mattie Conrad."

She stuck out her hand for him to shake it. She briefly clued David into what happened, ignoring Jack's gaze that was fixed on her. She was then told that Les was the one who informed the boys that she was in trouble. She responded by kissing him on the cheek, in which he blushed. She smiled lightly at the pink-faced boy.

"Hey Jack." David said. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Both Mattie and Jack followed where David was pointing. Mattie's hand reached out and grabbed Jack's arm upon seeing who it was. Warden Snyder, the man who runs the refuge was staring directly at them. Mattie's heart rate began to speed up. Snyder knew exactly who Jack was, and he knew Mattie was the one who helped Jack escape. If he caught them, Jack would be sent back to the refuge and Mattie most likely a girl's home.

"Jack." Mattie whispered. Any anger that Mattie had felt earlier had been put to the back of her mind. She was more worried about the matter at hand. She had to get Jack out of there, and quick.

"Beat it! It's the bulls!" Jack shouted grabbing on to Mattie's hand. She shivered slightly at the feel of his hand in hers, but she couldn't focus on that now. They had to move. Running, the group began to get out of there, cutting through the ring and between the fighters. Pushing and shoving they made their way through the crowd that were confused at their quick departure. They could hear the whistle of the police officer behind them, and the loud footsteps of Snyder. Jack kept a tight grip on Mattie. He wouldn't let her get sent to some girls home or to some factory where she could be in dangerous conditions. If either of them were caught, he hoped it was him.

"Stop you! Stop a say!" A male voice called after them as they ran through a cramped alley way. Mattie looked back for a fraction of a second to make sure David and Les were still following them. They were doing a good job keeping up, which surprised her.

"C'mon hurry up!" Jack called. The whistle behind them continued to get louder and Mattie felt a pit form in her stomach. She could not let Jack be caught.

"Sullivan!" Snyder's voice boomed. Jack cringed at the name and looked for any way out. He saw an apartment building and began to drag Mattie up the steps.

"Up this way!" He yelled to David. They ran into the building rushing up the stairs, jumping over a man who had made one stair his bed. They ran up to the roof, Snyder hot on their tail. Once they were on the roof, Jack released Mattie running and jumping off a ledge. A scream left Mattie's mouth as she saw Jack fall, but a second later his head popped up showing her that he had not jumped off the edge of the roof.

"Not funny Jack Kelly!" She yelled but followed suit and jumped over the side. David and Les did the same crouching down to hide their heads. They were completely silent when they heard the footsteps of Snyder who had followed them to the roof. Mattie didn't dare breath fearing that Snyder would hear her. Jack placed his hand on her arm gently, using his thumb to rub soothing circles. She turned her head to face him. He was looking anywhere but her, so she got the chance to look at him admiringly. Even when he was nervous her was attractive. She smiled slightly when his grip on her tightened. He wasn't letting her go, that was for sure.

"Sullivan!" Snyder yelled, snapping Mattie from her trance. Jack nodded for her to begin moving forward. "Wait until I get you back to the refuge!"

* * *

Once the four were off the roof of the building they began running again but soon David stopped spinning around to face Jack and Mattie. Jack still held onto Mattie's arm for dear life. She didn't exactly mind. She enjoyed the contact.

"I'm not running any further." David commanded. Mattie's eyes scanned their surroundings. She knew exactly where they were. She wrenched her arm from Jack's hand and went to the door.

"We don't have to." She told them pushing the door open. The boys followed her into the back of the building. David looked around. It looked to be a backstage of some sort. He didn't really know if they were supposed to be there or not, but at that moment he really didn't care.

"I want some answers." David called out in an outrage.

"Shhhh!" Jack and Mattie hushed him.

"Who is he, why was he chasing you, and what is this refuge?" David asked a couple octaves lower than before.

"The refuge is a jail for kids." Mattie told David. His eyes narrowed. _What would Mattie know about jail?_

"The guy chasing me is Snyder. He's the warden." Jack added nonchalantly.

"You were in jail?" Les asked eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah." Jack shrugged.

"Why?" Les asked. Mattie cringed. She knew exactly why Jack had gone to the refuge.

"I was starvin' so I stole some food." Jack replied with a shrug. His eyes flickered to Mattie who swallowed the lump rising in her throat. She hated thinking about why he went to the refuge. Because Jack went to the refuge because of Mattie

_Flashback_

_Manhattan, New York, 1896_

_Mattie and Jack were walking down the street trying to sell their last couple papers. They hadn't done a very good job today. The headlines were slow, and people didn't seem to care about the two young children just trying to survive. It had been about a year since Jack had found Mattie huddled in a dark alley tears streaming down her cheeks and nothing in her stomach. Over their time together Jack had grown fond of her, thinking her of a friend more than a burden. She felt like family, something he never really had. He had come to love and care for her something he never really felt before._

"_I'm getting the feeling we're gonna' have to eat these last few papes for dinner." Mattie mumbled. Her comment was followed by the loud growl of her stomach. She clutched at her abdomen knowing she would go hungry again tonight. Jack watched her and felt a sudden sense of protective instincts. He couldn't let Mattie go hungry again. He looked around seeing a cart loaded with loaves of bread sitting outside of the bakery. He looked around for any police officers, he hadn't seen any so he began walking toward the cart._

"_Jack." Mattie said reaching for his arm. He turned slightly to see her wide eyes and sunken face. She was thin, too thin. "What are you doing?"_

"_Getting dinner." He shrugged but she didn't let go of his arm. She knew good and well he didn't have enough money for a loaf of bread. _

"_Jack please don't." She begged but he pried her small hand off his arm holding her hand in his._

"_I'll be fine. I promise." He told her patting her hand. He smiled at her, trying to reassure her that he would be okay. His smiled was infectious because she found herself smiling as well. He led her off to an alley telling her to stay here until he came back. She stood there and waited…. And waited…. And waited. She finally slid down the wall sitting. She picked at the dirt caked under her nails. After about ten minutes she peeked her head around the wall to the bread cart. It looked to be untouched and she saw no sign of Jack. She scrambled to her feet before stepping fully out of the alley. Her big brown eyes scanned the area. Jack was nowhere to be found. She began running searching everywhere for him. As she passed by a carriage she finally saw him. _

_Jack was in handcuffs being pushed into the carriage roughly. She felt her heart sink. He must have gotten caught and was being arrested. She felt tears fall from her eyes. It was her fault. If she hadn't of complained about being hungry Jack never would have gone to steal the bread. _

"_Jack!" She squealed. His head snapped to the side. Upon seeing her he felt relief wash over him. She was safe, that's all that mattered. He sent her a reassuring smile before being thrown into the carriage that had large bars on it. He really felt like a prisoner. As the carriage started moving he watched her stand there frozen. He felt bad for leaving her, but he felt better knowing he was going to jail and not her. He would survive, and once he was out he would come back to her. _

_End Flashback_

Mattie shook her head at the memory. She felt so guilty for getting him thrown in there, then she hadn't even gotten the idea to help his escape until a few months after he was already there. She should have been in there not him. She should have tried harder to make him stay, but the idea of food at the time was more important than his safety.

"Right food." David scoffed, knocking Mattie out of her thoughts.

"Yeah food." Mattie said defensively. She would not have anyone bashing Jack for his actions. He was being a good person, by doing a bad thing. He was saving her life, a second time. David eyed her and hesitated before speaking again.

"He called you Sullivan." David said to Jack.

"Yeah, my names Jack Kelly. You think I'm lying?" Jack questioned. David smirked.

"You have a way of improving the truth." David replied feeling very satisfied with his answer.

"Yeah?" Jack said. David was really starting to get under Jack's skin. All Jack tried to do was teach him the ropes of being a newsie and what does he get? Accused of lying. Granted he was lying, but if he told anyone the truth they could sell him out in a second.

"Why was he chasing you?" David asked. Mattie rolled her eyes. She didn't dislike David, but at that moment he was making her mad. He was asking way to many prying questions. Jack didn't need to tell David anything.

"Cause' he escaped." Mattie answered leaning on the wall. David looked to her again. She sure knew a lot about Jack's past. Maybe they were closer than he first thought.

"Oh boy how?" Les asked excitedly.

"This big shot gave me a ride out in his carriage." Jack told the young boy. Les' face grew wide with curiosity. Mattie smirked knowing that in truth, she and Jack hitched a ride on the back of Teddy Roosevelt's carriage by accident. It was luck he was even there.

"I bet it was the mayor right?" David asked, sarcasm laced in his voice.

"No, Toddy Roosevelt. You ever heard of him?" Jack asked his eyes daring David to question him any further. Suddenly the group heard footsteps coming down the stairs they were crowded around. All eyes looked up to the red-headed woman coming down the steps. She wore an elegant purple dress and had a feather fan in her hand. She began shooing them telling them to go away with a flick of her fan.

"You wouldn't kick me out without a kiss goodbye would you Medda?" Jack asked meeting the woman halfway up the steps. A flash of recognition showed on Medda's face. She hugged Jack, asking him where he had been. Her eyes went down to Mattie and she smiled brightly.

"Oh Mattie dear!" The redheaded beauty said coming down the stairs to hug the much simpler looking girl.

"Hi Medda." Mattie said with a smile. Medda pulled away taking Mattie's hand and looking at her up and down.

"Look how much you have grown! You get more and more beautiful every time I see you." Medda said. Mattie blushed. She had never really been told she was beautiful. Hearing it made her feel strange. She never felt pretty before, let alone beautiful. She was simple to most girls, at least in her eyes.

"You must come by sometime and let me get you all gussied up." Medda insisted. Mattie forced a smile. Not that looking feminine didn't appeal to Mattie, but the thought of getting a makeover by Medda Larkson didn't sit well with her.

"I'd pay to see that." Jack mumbled earning him a slap on the arm from Mattie. "So, Medda this is David and Les."

"Hello." Medda greeted her other guests.

"And this is the greatest sta of the vaudeville stage today. Miss Medda Larkson the Swedish Medowlark." Jack introduced.

"Velcome Gentlemen." Medda said gracefully bowing with her fan. Mattie felt a pang of jealousy fill her. Mattie wished she could be like Medda, so graceful and elegant. Mattie had never been either, even when she lived with her mother. Even when she was young, Mattie was a big tomboy, playing with the boys who lived in her tenement building. While the girls sat around playing house or braiding hair, Mattie was out kicking a can around the street with several other boys. Her mother would dress her in nice looking clothes, but they would come home with grass stains or mud splattered on them. By the time Mattie was nine her mother had given up on trying to turn her daughter into a proper lady.

"Buy me last pape lady?" Les asked Medda. Medda smiled at the boy and complimented him on his acting skills. She then realized she had to go on stage soon. She told the group that they could stay as long as they liked and soon glided on stage. Jack headed to the side of the stage to watch but David seemed locked in place.

"You might wanna' pick your jaw up off the floor." Mattie told David nudging him with her shoulder. The movement seemed to knock him out of his trance. He shook his head blushing as he stared at the floor. Mattie laughed lightly pulling David to stand next to her and Jack on the edge of the stage. Medda walked across the stage singing her little song entrancing the men as she did. Mattie felt like she was writing notes down in her head, trying to find ways to be more like Medda. She was never going to get any male attention let alone Jack's if she didn't learn how to act like a proper lady. As Medda came over to the side stage and brushed her feather fan on the faces sitting there. Mattie realized she had to be flirty, but not too over the top. Mattie took in Medda's appearance. She was already naturally beautiful, but the way she carried herself made her look that much more attractive. _Confidence is key_, Mattie thought.

"She's so beautiful." Mattie mumbled to no one in particular. She didn't know why she said it out loud, it had just come out.

"Yeah she is." Jack replied. Mattie swallowed. She hadn't expected anyone to say anything especially not Jack. She also didn't think that he would say that. Again the jealousy rose up. Jack looked over at Mattie and saw her smile had faded. He watched her intently as she watched Medda so her little show. The way her eyes scanned everything that Medda was doing, made Jack think that she was taking a class on it. She was taking everything in, trying to learn from her.

_What does Mattie have to learn from Medda_? Jack thought to himself. Mattie didn't need to change, she was a kind, independent, intelligent girl. Why change anything? That was when it hit Jack. When Mattie said Medda was beautiful, Mattie was implying that she herself was not. He recalled back to when Medda had told Mattie that she was in fact beautiful and Mattie brushed it off. Come to think of it, Jack could never think of a time when anyone had called Mattie beautiful. He himself had never said it either. His eyes scanned her from head to toe.

Jack realized that Mattie was beautiful, like an angel. She didn't even have to try on her appearance like many girls did. She was a natural exotic beauty and she didn't even realize it. Hell, it took Jack up until this point to actually realize it. It wasn't that he had never really looked at her, he just never really saw her that way, that is until that moment.

"You know when Medda said you were beautiful?" Jack asked. Mattie turned to him and gave him a look.

"Yeah. Funny joke huh?" She scoffed. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"It's not a joke Mattie." He told her. Her smile faded as she looked back at him. His eyes were intense, something she had never seen in him before. "You're beautiful Mattie."

She felt her cheeks heat up at that comment. She couldn't stop staring at him as she took in his words. _Jack Kelly thinks I'm beautiful?_ She thought to herself. In all of her fantasies Jack said these sweet romantic things to her, but those were dreams. She gently pinched herself to see if she was in fact dreaming, but nothing changed. She hadn't woken up and Jack hadn't disappeared. Jack Kelly thought she was beautiful. There was nothing that could bring her down.

**I am on a roll! Thank you to my reviewers. Comments/questions/concerns please let me know!**


	4. Santa Fe

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies!**

**Chapter 4**

After Medda's show was over and Jack was positive the coast would be clear the group walked outside into the slightly chilly air. Mattie was still giddy from Jack's words earlier. She felt like a child who had just been given a piece of candy. She knew that she was getting her hopes up, but she didn't care.

"So you liked that?" Jack asked David once they were outside.

"Oh I loved that. It was great." David said. "She is beautiful. How do you know her?"

"She's a friend of my fathers." Jack answered taking a drag on his cigarette.

"It's getting late. My parents are going to be worried." David told them. "What about yours."

"Out west." Jack jumped to answer first. He knew that Mattie wouldn't want to talk about her parents. That was a subject that she barely spoke to Jack about. It brought back painful memories, memories that Mattie didn't want to relive.

"They are looking for a place to live. See this?" Jack asked showing the brothers an old pamphlet with a colorful drawing of a cowboy on it. "That's Santa Fé, New Mexico."

Mattie's eyes narrowed. She knew where Jack's parents really were and it wasn't Santa Fé. Up to that point she didn't even know Jack knew Santa Fé existed. He had never mentioned it before. Sure he had said that he wanted to get out of Manhattan but she had no idea that meant going to Santa Fé, New Mexico.

"As soon as they find the right ranch they're gonna' send for me." Jack finished his tale. His eyes met a very confused looking Mattie. He didn't look long because soon he looked to David.

"That's really…. Uh nice…. What about you Mattie?" David asked. Three sets of eyes fell on her. She swallowed. She didn't want to talk about this at all. She couldn't really blame David, he was merely curious. But she wished he could have dropped if after Jack's tale.

"Uh… my folks are-" She began but was interrupted by a loud booming sound. The four looked at each other before taking off down the street. Loud voices were shouting, things breaking, and the smell of something burning filled their nostrils. When they turned a corner, a large fire had broken out, and people were beating on one another. There were several men carrying signs that read S-T-R-I-K-E.

"It must be the Trolley Strike." She mumbled. She looked at Jack who was having a good time watching the fight. Mattie felt uncomfortable, remembering earlier when that man had hit her. Watching these grown men fight made her shiver. She worried for the women and children that were on the street. If someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time, someone could be hurt.

"Hey Jack, why don't we go back to my place and divvy up?" David suggested. His eyes fell on to Mattie who stood there expectantly. He quickly added, "Of course you're welcome too."

She smiled at him. She couldn't remember when she had been in a real home. She had been in the lodging house for years and even before she lived in a tenement that wasn't much of a home itself.

"It's the trolley strike, Dave. These dumbasses must not have joined." Jack said ignoring David's offer. He wanted to see this fight. He found the trolley strike interesting. He would love to be a part of it. To fight for what he believes in.

"Jack let's get outta' here." David tried again, but Jack wasn't listening. Mattie rolled her eyes, becoming more and more uncomfortable with the situation at hand. She just wanted to get out of there, and fast. She reached for Jack's arm. He looked down at her meeting her eyes.

"C'mon Jack, let's go. Please." She pleaded. They stared at one another for a few seconds before he finally caved. He could see in her eyes that she really did want to leave, and he could never say no to her.

"Well since you're beggin'." He smirked. "So, maybe we'll get a good headline tomorrow."

Jack turned to find a sleeping Les on a bench. As he was lifted the kid over his shoulder, David turned to Mattie.

"How did you do that?" He asked referring to the way she could get Jack to change his mind so quickly. She let out a small laugh.

"It's all in the eyes Davey." She replied using her index and middle finger to gesture to her eyes. He looked at her a small smile on his face.

"You guys comin'?" Jack asked. Mattie patted David on the shoulder before going to catch up with Jack. David stood there dumbstruck for a couple of seconds before running ahead of them.

_She's really something,_ David thought to himself.

* * *

When they finally made it to David's apartment, Mattie was relieved to have a chance to finally sit down. She got a chance to meet David's family. She was right they were a middle class family, but David's father had been hurt on the job causing David to become Newsies. From what she gathered David's family were really nice, kind people. His mother reminded Mattie of her own mother. The way Mrs. Jacobs tucked Les in and gratefully fed two more mouths made Mattie's mind wander to her mother. Her mother had always fed the other children whose parents could afford to, not that Mattie and her mother were rolling in money. Her mother had a factory job, and saved what she could. She did everything she could to make Mattie's life better.

Mattie also liked David's father. He had a sense of humor, similar to Mattie's. She had always dreamed her father would be similar to someone like Mr. Jacobs. Mattie had never met her father; she didn't even know who he was. Her mother had only told Mattie that her father had left before Mattie was born. She didn't even know what he looked like. She only knew that she got her dimples from her father.

During dinner Jack had informed the Jacob's what life was like as a newsie, and what kind of a headline sells. They had many questions for Mattie and Jack. By the time dinner was over they were convinced that letting David drop out of school was a good idea, at least for the time being. Mattie looked to her right to see Sarah, David's sister, looking at Jack. She felt her blood boil. She knew that kind of look. It was the same look that Jack got from other girls on the street. Mattie wasn't the only girl who wanted Jack's attention, a lot of girls did. Now Mattie would have to add Sarah Jacobs to the long list of girls that wanted to take Jack away from her.

Sarah was pretty, Mattie had to give that to her. She had long light brown hair that reached the small of her back. She was thin, but not so deathly thin like Mattie had been. Her blue eyes were warm and gentle trapping people in them. She was pale white, and blemish free. She reminded Mattie of a porcelain doll, precious and beautiful. Mattie was more like a rag doll. Mattie's eyes trailed to Jack who sent a smile Sarah's way. She smiled back at him looking down. Mattie felt her heart sink. She bit her lip trying to stop tears from streaming from her eyes.

"Will you please excuse me?" Mattie asked. Mrs. Jacobs nodded smiling at her. Mattie forced a smile before standing and making her way to the window. She climbed out on to the fire escape. Once she was outside she let out a loud breath and ran a hand through her hair. She needed to calm down, to clear her mind. Seeing Jack smile at Sarah the way he does to her had hurt her. To other girls Jack was simply polite, but he looked at Sarah like she could be a future spouse. She took a deep breath leaning on the rail of the fire escape. _Why did I have to fall in love with him?_ She thought angrily.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked behind her. She jumped not expecting someone to follow her. Climbing out of the window and up to her side was David. "Sorry my mom was worried we had offended you or something."

"Oh no!" Mattie replied. "If anyone should be sorry it's me. I just ran out."

"It's not a problem. Jack and my dad are talking business." David said reaching for the railing next to her. The cool metal of the railing felt soothing on his sweaty palms. For some reason Mattie made him nervous. Whether it was her looks, her voice, or the way she carried herself, David knew that he wanted to get to know her better.

"How come you aren't talking business with them?" Mattie asked leaning her back on the railing.

"Oh uh… if you haven't n-noticed, I'm- I'm not that business savvy." He stuttered laughing nervously.

"Hey! You did great for your first day." She remarked. David did well for his first day and being thrown into it so quick. She also had to deal with Jack and herself, so that in mind he did amazingly well.

"Thank you." David said trying his best to keep his voice from shaking. She nodded before turning to look out into the city. The two were silent for a few seconds not knowing what else to say.

"Your uh… your family is nice." She told him. He looked to her for a second before nodding.

"They can be a pain sometimes." He shrugged. She bit her lip. She missed the times when her mother irritated her. Even the fights she missed. She just missed her mom.

"You never know what you have until it's gone." She mumbled so quietly he almost missed it. He stared at her a second. She was so hard to read. Her face was blank of emotion that he didn't know exactly what she meant by that statement.

"Hm?" He asked.

"Treasure them David. Because one minute they are there….. And the next …. They're gone." She replied. She turned to look at him. His face was scrunched up in confusion. "My mother died when I was eleven."

"Oh God. I'm so sorry." He said. He felt stupid for asking earlier. No wonder she was reluctant to answer. He couldn't imagine not having his mother there, let alone any other family member. He realized that he did take them for granted. She was right; they could be gone in the next second if fate willed it.

"It's okay. I don't really talk about it much." She told him. He nodded not trying to push the subject. "I really do like your folks though. They seem really nice. Sarah too, and I'm already wrapped around Les' finger."

"Most people are. He's a good kid." David said. "Sometimes I wish he would pick different role models."

Her eyes flickered to him. She knew he was talking about Jack. She could also sense the smallest amount of resentment in his voice. He wished Les would look up to him, not Jack Kelly. She could understand his mood about the situation. Jack didn't exactly come off in a good fashion the David, but David didn't know Jack yet.

"Jack's not all that bad. Sure he can be obnoxious and rude sometimes, but he's really good guy." Mattie said. He nodded not meeting her eyes.

"You guys are close aren't you?" He asked. She didn't catch the underlying reason for the question. He wanted to know just how close they were and where their relationship would go.

"He's my best friend. He pulled me up when I was at my lowest. He saved me." She replied. David clenched his jaw. She cared about Jack, maybe more than she led on to. Jack obviously cared about her too, because he had practically killed someone for her today. David felt his heart sink at the realization that Jack and Mattie could be more than friends.

"You care about him a lot." He commented. She smiled, but nodded. She felt relaxed with David. She felt she could really confide in him, and he seemed honestly interested. Maybe David could be the one she received advice from about Jack. Then again, if David and Jack got closer, David could tell Jack everything Mattie felt.

"He cares about you a lot too ya' know." He said.

"I guess so." She nodded. She bit her bottom lip as she reached up and touched the tender skin of her cheek where she had been hit. It had stopped stinging, but it hurt to the touch. If Jack didn't care about her then he wouldn't have acted the way he did when she had been hit. Whether that was brotherly love or true love she didn't know.

"How's your cheek?" David asked. She looked at him.

"It's fine. Nothing I can't handle." She shrugged. He watched her as she dropped her hand from her face. He couldn't believe someone could be so low down and dirty to lay their hands on a woman. It made his blood boil thinking about it. He secretly wished he had been there to beat the tar out of the guy. He probably wouldn't have gotten too many hits in. He wasn't trained to fight. Jack had grown up fighting. He knew exactly how to act. Jack was tough, David wasn't. David was all brains no brawn.

"You're brave you know." He commented. She blushed slightly. She had been called tough, never brave. It gave her a sense of pride.

"You are too. You came into that distribution center this morning a nobody and left being respected." She told him. His eyes narrowed.

"Respected?" He asked.

"Yeah, you stood up to Jack. A lot of the newsies who have known him for years wouldn't have the guts to do that." She shrugged. A smile spread on his face. He never thought of that. He had stood up to Jack. Hearing it coming from Mattie made it all the more special.

"I guess I did." He said.

"Don't get too cocky. We don't want you getting a black eye out of this deal." She smirked. The two laughed with each other. Their laughter was cut off short though when they were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey David, I think your pop wants you back inside." Jack said. The two turned to see Jack's head poking out of the window. David nodded sadly. He didn't want them to leave, especially Mattie. He felt like he could tell her anything. Jack climbed out on to the fire escape with the two, smiling at Mattie. She smiled back feeling her heart skip a beat.

"Wait, do you guys want to stay here tonight?" David asked hopeful. Mattie opened her mouth but Jack answered for her.

"No thanks. We got our own place." Jack said. She looked to him at the word 'we.' It was a simple word, that shouldn't have meant anything, but it meant the world to her.

Unbeknownst to the two new friends, Jack had heard a lot of their conversation. He didn't want Mattie anywhere new David anymore tonight. He felt his heart tighten when he had heard Mattie laugh with David. He didn't know why it bothered him so much that she had talked so long with David about personal stuff. It shouldn't have bothered him, but he couldn't help but get annoyed at David trying to get information out of her. Mattie had always been a tough nut to crack, only opening up to Jack. Now David swoops in and gets her to talk about things she barely talked to him about. It bothered him to no end. So his solution was to get Mattie home and away from the Jacob's apartment.

"See you tomorrow then." David said shaking Jack's hand. David's eyes went to Mattie. "Good night Mattie."

"Night David." She said to him. He smiled at her before ducking back through the window. Mattie looked at Jack who seemed to be off in his own little world. She turned heading down the stairs of the fire escape.

"They're good people ya' know?" She said. He didn't respond. She turned to find he wasn't following her. He just stood there in a daze. She squinted looking at him. She was confused he had seemed fine before David left. "Jack are you alright?"

He took a deep breath before he began to move from his spot.

_So that's what they call a family_

_Mother daughter father son_

_Guess that everything you heard about is true_

He looked longingly into the window of the Jacobs house before he continued walking down the stairs and past Mattie. She watched and listened intently worrying about him. She had never seen Jack like this before.

_So you aint got any family_

_Who said you needed one_

_Aint ya glad nobody's waiting up for you_

He stopped suddenly looking out at the city. Mattie stopped as well staring at his back. His words hit her hard. She was always so focused on herself not having a family, but she seemed to forget Jack didn't have a family either. That was why they had a mutual understanding. They were both parentless.

_When I dream on my own_

_I'm alone but I aint lonely_

_For a dreamer nights the only time a day_

He continued down the stairs, telling her of everything his heart ached for. He sat down on a step for a second. She sat next to him and he looked at her as he sand his next line.

_When the city's finally sleeping and my thoughts begin to stray_

_And I'm on the train that's bound for Santa Fé_

He stood then taking her with him. He took her hand and they ran and jumped on to a moving carriage. His arm slipped around her waist making sure she couldn't fall.

_And I'm free like the wind_

_Like I'm gunna live forever_

_Its a feeling time can never take away_

_All I needs a few more dollars_

_And I'm outa here to stay_

_Dreams comes true, yes they do_

_In Santa Fé_

Jack ran into a dark damp alley pulling his hat on his head. Mattie followed trying to keep up. His voice had grown harsher and angrier. He ran away the alley gesturing wildly.

_Where does it say that you gotta live and die here_

_Where does it say a guy can't catch a break?_

_Why should you only take what you're given?_

_Why should you spend your whole life livin'_

_Trapped where they aint no future even at 17_

_Breaking your back for someone else's sake_

_If the life don't seem to suit ya how bout a change of scene_

_Far from the lousy headlines and the deadlines in between_

Jack took off again running for the empty street. He began jumping around and dancing, pretending he was a real cowboy in the Wild West. Mattie leaned on a lamppost watching him in wonder. Seeing Jack act like this was new for her, and even though she knew nothing about Jack made her long for a new place to call home. He had never told her of this wild dream he had before. She admired him for it. She didn't really have any dreams. At least Jack had something to live for.

Before Mattie knew it Jack was running again. She tried to catch up but he was faster than she was. She watched him hop on to a horse and she figured he was going to ride off without her but he surprised her yet again. He turned the horse running toward her and scooped her up. She squealed as he pulled her up on the horse in front of him. She tried not to think about the fact that his chest was pressed into her back. Her heart began pounding.

_Santa Fé are you there_

_Do you swear you won't forget me?_

_If I found you would you let me come and stay_

She turned her face so that she was facing him, noticing that their faces were mere inches from each other. She could feel his hot breath on her as he told her his plans.

_I aint getting any younger_

_and before my dying day_

_I want space not just air_

_Let them laugh in my face_

_I don't care_

_Save a place_

_I'll be there_

Jack slid off the horse and then lifted Mattie from the horses back as well. He set her on her feet before walking over to a nearby lamppost and leaning on it, his back to her.

_So that's what they call a family_

_Aint ya glad you aint that way_

_Aint ya glad you have a dream called_

_Santa Fé_

**I do not own the song Santa Fe, that is also Disney's. A little longer mostly because of the song, but how did you like that fact that not only does Jack have maybe feelings for Mattie, but so does David! I sense a competition brewing. Maybe not… you will have to see. **


	5. The Fire That Won't Stop Burning

**Thank you all! I love each and every one of you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or its songs or dialogue. That belongs to Disney.**

**Chapter 5**

Once Jack had finished his song, Mattie stood there in a daze. As she stared at his unmoving figure and felt bad for him. He wanted to get out of here, which was understandable. Being a newsie wasn't a career, it was a job to survive. Besides Jack was constantly running around this town scared of who could be following him. He had a right to want to get out. However a thought occurred to her. Jack wanted to start fresh, new, and alone. She felt her pounding heart sink to her stomach for about the third time that day. He had said _nothing_ about her coming along with him. Maybe there was a reason he hadn't told her before. Maybe he didn't want her to get her hopes up that they would be together forever. Jack was going to Santa Fé, and he was going without her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mattie found herself asking. Jack hesitated before turning around to face her. He gave her an embarrassed smile.

"I thought you would think I was being stupid." He admitted. Her smile faded. She had never given Jack any reason to think that she would ever doubt his dream. She wanted what was best for him. She wanted him to be happy and if going to Santa Fé made him happy, she was going to support that no matter how much it broke her heart.

"Jack Kelly! I would never think your dream was stupid." She said a little outraged. "If anything I'm going to help you get there."

Jack looked up at her meeting her eyes. He was shocked. He never would have thought that she would help him leave the God forsaken place. He never really doubted that she would do anything for him, but he never thought she would help him go to Santa Fé. He had always been embarrassed thinking that she was going to tell him that he was never going to make it out there. She surprised him though. She believed in him.

"You're just trying to get rid of me." Jack smirked. She rolled her eyes but laughed. She hoped that he couldn't hear the sadness behind her voice. She didn't want him to go, but there was no stopping Jack once he had started something. She couldn't be selfish with him.

"Oh yes, that is my plan. Get rid of you and I can be the Manhattan newsie leader." She joked. He chuckled lightly looking down at his shoes. Mattie daringly took a few steps forward until she was right in front of him. His eyes went up and met hers.

"I'm serious Jack. If you really want to go. I'll make it happen." She told him, the determination in her voice made Jack speechless. She was going to help him with his dream, and he believed it. He had never seen such determination in her before. He surprised her by pulling her into a hug. She closed her eyes holding onto him tightly. She breathed in deeply, loving his scent. She loved this feeling, the feeling of being in his arms. She felt safe, complete, loved.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat. Jack backed up releasing Mattie. She felt cold as he stepped away. Both looked up to see Racetrack standing there a wild smirk on his face. Mattie felt her cheeks heat up.

"Hey Race." Jack said, the slight sound of annoyance in his tone.

"Hey you two." Race said a cigar in his fingers. He opened his mouth to say something but he caught sight of her cheek. He couldn't see much of it in the dim light, but he could see some color to the mark. He reached for her looking closer at the mark. "What happened to your face?"

"Some creep happened." Mattie mumbled. Jack eyed her, looking for any sign of pain. She seemed fine, which made Jack relax.

"Someone hit you?" Race asked. He was just as angry as Jack had been earlier. Mattie shrugged.

"Yeah, but we took care of it." Mattie told Racetrack.

"We? More like me." Jack corrected.

"Details, details." She mumbled waving her hand. Race chuckled before tossing his arm around Mattie's shoulders. Jack tensed watching the encounter.

"How was the track?" Jack asked his eyes boring into the arm around Mattie's shoulder. He knew that Race was innocent, and it wasn't the first time someone had put their arm around Mattie. However, after everything that had happened that day, he felt like he was the only person who could protect her properly. She wanted to tear her away from him and bring her back to him, but he knew he really couldn't do that.

"Remember that hot tip I told you about?" Race asked. Jack nodded. "Nobody told the horse."

Mattie let out a laugh. If Race was betting, Mattie was betting against him. The three newsies headed inside the building. Mattie smiled at Kloppman before heading up the stairs. He did a double take looking at her cheek. She dismissed him smiling even wider showing him she was ok. When they reached the top of the stairs she followed the boys to the bunkroom. They had a rousing game of poker going on in the middle of the room. They looked up upon hearing footsteps. Several gasps left some of the boys lips. Mattie sighed.

"Dimples? Are you ok?" Mush asked.

"Yeah… whats wrong with your face?" Blink asked. Crutchy hit the boy with the eye patch with his crutch. "Ow!"

"I'm fine. Just got into a little scuffle." She shrugged. She didn't want the boys to worry.

"Well, it makes you look tough." Race said finally getting a good look at the mark that was beginning to turn purple.

"I guess so." She smirked putting up her fists. "You think I'm scary looking?"

"Terrifying." Jack muttered sarcastically. Mattie rolled her eyes punching him in the arm. She didn't want him to feel bad for her getting hurt. If he hadn't been there she would have gotten worse. So she decided to keep the subject light.

"Keep it up!" Jack warned walking to his bunk. He slipped his vest off, and then his bandana. Mattie smirked to herself strolling over to Jack. She then sent another punch his way. It landed on his back. He turned slowly an evil look on his face.

"What are ya' gonna' do about it Kelly?" She egged him on. He leapt for her catching her effortlessly. He swung her over his shoulder. She squeaked, causing the other boys to laugh. She struggled playfully.

"Jack Kelly! You put me down!" She commanded. She looked to the boys helplessly. "Help me!"

"He did warn you Matt." Mush told her.

"You walked into this one." Blink shrugged. Jack then began walking to the window leading to the fire escape.

"Jack! What are you doing?" She asked. He climbed through the window and out on to the fire escape. He set her on her feet then.

"I'm putting you down." He said smirking. She narrowed her eyes.

"Why are we on the fire escape?" She asked suspiciously. His smirk turned devilish. He took a few steps forward making her back up into the railing. Her heart sped up. He placed his hands on her waist making her breath hitch. He stared at her a second feeling the intensity between the two, but put his plan in motion. He then leaned her back so she looked like she was falling off the fire escape.

"Jack!" She squealed trying to catch her balance. Her feet were off the ground and one false move and she could fall and have more than just a bruise.

"Say you're sorry!" He shouted at her playfully. She began to laugh. Even in a life or death situation she found humor in Jacks antics.

"Never!" She yelled back. He then began to tickle her. She erupted in a fit of giggles and began to jostle around. "Jack! Please stop!"

"Say you're sorry!" He repeated.

"Fine! I'm sorry dammit!" She replied. She then felt herself really falling backward. A small scream left her mouth before she was pulled back up. Jack pulled her so hard that she barreled into his chest and their faces were inches from each other.

"I got you." He whispered. She swallowed her eyes flickering to his lips then back to his eyes. The two stayed there for a second before he smiled taking a step back. "That's enough life or death situations for one night."

"You're telling me." She said laughing nervously. He chuckled ducking through the window. Mattie bit her lip but followed him. She watched the poker game and even played one game winning the game. She looked to Jack who was sitting next to her on the floor.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked. He nodded. She got up and led him to her bedroom. He didn't close the door all the way because it was a rule that if any of the boys were in her room the door had to remain open at all times. Kloppman had created the rule after Mattie had turned thirteen. He didn't trust the boys around Mattie. Jack didn't either, or at least some of the boys.

"Everything okay?" Jack asked her. He thought that maybe she was mad at him for the stunt he had pulled earlier.

"Yeah, I just… I never got a chance to thank you for, well, saving me earlier." She said running a hand through her hair. Jacks eyes flickered to the mark on her face. The other guys didn't think much of her battle wound, but he knew what had really happened. Mattie had played it off, but he knew that it was a bigger deal. He had seen her cry, something that he hadn't seen her do in a while. She had been scared, and then that terrible man had hurt her. It made Jack's blood boil just thinking about it.

"It's my job." Was all he could say. He then reached out and gently caressed her cheek with the bruise on it. She closed her eyes enjoying the electric feeling that he left behind. When he pulled away she opened her eyes reluctantly, seeing that he was giving her a weak smile.

"Night Dimples." He said before turning for the door. She said nothing. She didn't want to say good night. She wanted him to stay, but she knew he wouldn't. He closed the door behind him and she found herself following. She wrenched open the door and rushed up to him. She then placed a soft kiss on his left cheek.

"Goodnight Jack." She said before rushing back into her room and closing the door. Jack stood there for a second before turning and reaching for her door. His hand on the handle he was ready to go in, but he restrained himself. His cheeks burned especially the one she kissed. He touched the skin that he lips had touched. He could still feel the spark that went spiraling through him from her small gesture. He was confused. She had never done that before.

He shook his head. _You're thinking too much,_ he thought to himself before turning. He walked into the bunk room and felt all eyes on him. His eyes scanned the room. All the boys had an all knowing look on their faces.

"What?" He asked. They all looked away, but he saw that some were still smiling. Jack huffed realizing they had all seen his encounter with Mattie. Now they weren't going to let him live it down. He climbed into his bed and just stared at the ceiling. As he lay there he found himself smiling.

* * *

After her door was closed Mattie found herself staring at the white wood for about a minute. She turned sure that Jack wasn't coming back in her room. She felt slightly disappointed that he didn't come to her room. She didn't know what she was expecting. She didn't even know what possessed her to do that. It was like she wasn't in her own body. She shook her head, trying to let all thoughts of her actions leave her mind. There was nothing she could do now. She had kissed Jack and she didn't know what to do. Granted it was on the cheek, but that was a big step for her. She had been in love with him so long and even the thought of kissing him was foreign to her. She guessed that it had always been as though she had to hide it and now, she was slightly showing it.

She rubbed her arms suddenly feeling cold. She felt exposed now that she thought about revealing her feelings even the slightest bit. She walked over to her very small old dresser she pulled her nightgown from it. She changed quickly and climbed into bed. She covered herself trying to get warm, but she couldn't. The only time she felt warm was earlier when she was in Jack's arms. A long sigh left her lips as she tried to think of anything else but Jack. She wasn't very successful, but she tried. It took her a while but she finally stopped thinking enough for herself to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Mattie felt her eyes flutter open. She yawned, feeling oddly tired. She was never tired in the mornings. She had become so used to waking up so early her body just responded to waking up. This morning was a different story. She felt exhausted. She threw her arm over her eyes, she knew exactly why she was tired. She had woken up about three times thinking about _he who shall not be named._ She tried so hard not to think about him, but his handsome face continually invaded her thoughts. She groaned to herself before throwing her legs over the edge of her bed. She took a step, but tripped catching herself on her dresser. She just narrowly missed hitting her head.

"Ow." A muffled voice grumbled. Mattie turned confused. She looked down on the floor to find a body lying there. She gasped not realizing who it was until the person rolled on to their back.

"Jack?" She whispered, noticing her door was cracked open. She had to be careful not to wake the other boys up.

"Mornin' Mattie." Jack mumbled casually. Her brows knitted in confusion. She had no idea why he was in her room. She did vaguely waking up and seeing someone come into her room, but she didn't think much of it and fell back to sleep. She figured she had been dreaming.

"Wh-what are you doing in here?" She stuttered. She became nervous. Jack had slept in her room that night, and she had no idea what she did in her sleep. She remembered when she was ten her mother told her she talked in her sleep. Her heart sped up thinking of anything she could have said in her sleep. She prayed that it was nothing about him.

"Couldn't sleep so I thou-" He began as he sat up but his eyes trailed from her feet to her face, his face turned red. "I uh… thought I would… um… sleep in here."

Mattie stood there confused about why Jack was acting so strange. She looked to him and saw that he was trying to look anywhere but at her. She wondered if her hair was messed up or there was drool on her face. She looked down and found that she was standing in her white night-gown. The fabric was old and worn, and she could vaguely see the outline of her body. The top of the nightgown was low-cut, showing more than she had ever worn in public. She dove for her shirt pulling it over her night-gown quickly. Jack still wasn't looking at her, fearing what he would see. Her cheeks were burning and she hoped that in the little about of light that he couldn't see it.

"Sorry." She apologized looking at the floor.

"It's uh… okay." He replied. "Why are you up so early anyway?"

"I wake up at this time every morning." She told him. That was when he looked up at her. He had no idea how she could function waking up this early every morning. He thought he had to wake up she woke up earlier than he did.

"Why?" He asked her.

"I get ready before you boys do." She answered. He gave her a confused glance. "So more thing like this don't happen."

"Right." He nodded. "Blink would kill to see that."

The two laughed nervously falling into silence. Neither of them moved not knowing what to say or do. It was a weird situation. She was embarrassed that he had seen her like that, and he was afraid to look at her again, in fear of what he would do. Jack was the first to move. He picked him up off her floor and started making his way to her door.

"You can stay if you want. I was going to get ready anyway." She offered. He chuckled lightly.

"Thanks, but we wouldn't want them boys thinking things." He told her. She nodded her heart skipping a beat. He shot her a smile before heading out of the room and back to his bed. Once he was gone Mattie let out a relieved breath. She felt so embarrassed with herself. She just never thought that Jack would be in her bedroom after everyone fell asleep. She never dreamed any of the boys would be in her bedroom. She shook her head going into the washroom.

When Jack had returned to his bunk he couldn't help but feel his heart beat unevenly. He had no idea that he would ever see her like that. So exposed and vulnerable. She was even more beautiful than he had first thought. He shook his head. He had over stepped his boundaries by entering her bedroom without her permission. He had a valid excuse last night, or at least it was valid in his mind. He was worried about her. He had an image in his mind that the man from the fighting ring would find her and finish what he started. He promised himself that he wasn't going to let her get hurt again.

As he heard the water pump start he threw his arm over his eyes. Mattie was definitely a little girl anymore. She was a beautiful young woman and he needed to do everything he could to protect her.

* * *

About an hour and a half later Mattie found herself rushing to get out of the lodging house. She didn't want to face Jack. After their embarrassing little encounter that morning she had felt self-conscious. If the dark purple bruise wasn't enough now Jack had seen her indecent. She shook her head trying to stop herself from blushing. A boy had been in her bedroom at night, and it wasn't just any boy. It was Jack Kelly, the man that she was crazy stupidly in love with.

Suddenly a hand came down on her shoulder. Mattie jumped turning around to find a very surprised Kloppman.

"Sorry darlin,' didn't mean to scare ya'." Klopp apologized.

"It's okay Kloppman." She said trying to calm her heart down.

"You're kind of jumpy this morning." He commented. Ever since she had come down the stairs he noted that she seemed nervous.

"I just… had a bad dream. Scared me is all." She lied. He watched her closely, knowing she wasn't telling the truth. He didn't want to pry even though he was worried about her. She had never been an open book, except to Jack. _So if anyone could find out what's wrong with her it would be Jack_, Kloppman thought. However, Kloppman had no idea that Jack was the cause of all her problems.

"C'mon boys! We've got work to do!" Mattie called up the stairs, feeling more and more uncomfortable under Kloppman's fatherly gaze. She knew he was just worried about her, but she didn't want to talk about what was bothering her. She couldn't talk to anyone about it in fear that they would find out just how in love she was with Jack. Her words were followed by the loud thumping sounds of the boys footsteps. The boys came down joking and laughing, but when they saw her they stopped. They became quiet, large smiles and smirks on their faces.

"What?" She asked, but they didn't answer. They just stood there with those stupid grins on their faces. "Where's Jack?"

"He slept in a little." Blink answered. "He had a… uh… wild night."

She narrowed her eyes at all of their accusing faces.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. The boys snickered, except for Crutchy. He saw that Mattie was very uncomfortable and confused. He felt for her because she had no idea what these boys thought she did last night.

"Skittery said he saw Jack come out of your room this morning." Boots finally explained to her. Her face turned red as the boys smirked at her. She felt completely exposed under their eyes. Her heart picked up speed, but not like when Jack was close to her, but when she became angry.

"Well Skit's don't know nothing! Nothing happened." She said angrily.

"Mattie calm down. We were just-" Must said putting his hands up surrendering.

"No! I know what you're thinking. Well sorry to disappoint but nothing happened." She told them before turning on her heel and out the door. Mattie never got so angry before in her life. She couldn't exactly blame them. The situation would cause gossip, but she had never given them any reason to think like that.

"Dimples! Wait up!" A voice called to her. She didn't slow down. "C'mon don't run from a crip."

She immediately turned around to see Crutchy hobbling after her. His face was covered in the apology he wanted to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She scoffed.

"No, no I'm not okay." She replied with annoyance.

"Well, hey, them boys just like to gossip. I know you didn't do nothing." Crutchy told her. She smiled weakly before giving him a small hug.

"Thanks Crutch. You're a good friend." She said. He grinned goofily. The two began walking slowly to the distribution center. "I just don't understand what they were thinking. Jack slept on the floor last night, nothing else happened. I didn't even know he was in there 'til morning."

"Well, I guess they just like the idea of 'yall two together." Crutchy shrugged. Mattie stopped and stared at him.

"Together? Where would they get a… silly idea like that?" She said trying to keep her voice steady. Crutchy smiled at her patting her on the shoulder.

"Seeing either one of you with anyone else just seems…. Wrong." He told her. She stared at him for a second before smiling. "And then we saw you kiss him last night."

"You saw that too?" She groaned. He nodded sorrowfully. "There's nothing happening with me and Jack I can assure you."

Her words tasted like vinegar coming out of her mouth. That was the first time she ever had to say anything like that. She had never needed to explain her relationship with Jack. She was _his _best friend, and nothing more. She had come to terms with that, but there was still that fire. The blazing fire that burned in her soul every time she thought about Jack.

"Hey don't worry about it! This will all die over soon." Crutchy said throwing his free arm around her shoulders. She nodded hoping he was right.


	6. The World Will Know

**Thank you so much! I really appreciate feedback!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or anything associated**

**Chapter 6**

Mattie and Crutchy finally made it to the distribution center the newsboys were outraged. Mattie and Crutchy shared a look before they went up to their friends.

"What's going on?" Mattie asked, all her annoyance at the boys gone. Something was wrong.

"They raised the price." Mush said sorrowfully. Mattie's eyebrows knitted together. _Why would they raise the price? We can barely afford it now._

"What? Why would they do that?" Crutchy asked. Mush shrugged, obviously still in shock himself. Mattie shook her head. She couldn't believe that Pulitzer would do that to his workers. _He must know that we are all young and are barely making it by now. _That's when it hit her. Pulitzer didn't care. As long as he was making money he didn't care what happened to them. He didn't care if they were forced to go on the street. He didn't care if they starved. He didn't care if they died.

"They jacked up the price!" Blink yelled outraged to someone new. Mattie turned to see Jack just now showing up. His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second before turning back to Blink. "Did ya' hear that Jack? Ten cents a hundred!"

Jack eyes followed over the newsies. Their faces were covered in anger and confusion. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He couldn't comprehend why the price would have been raised. A pit formed in his stomach thinking about what could happen to him and his friend. His eyes fell on Mattie who stood there looking just as confused as he felt. He took a few steps over toward her and she looked up at him sorrowfully. He gave her a weak smile, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay, even if he didn't know that it would be.

"It's bad enough we gotta' eat what we don't sell! Now they jacked up the price! Can you believe that?" Blink continued angrily. The other boys followed Blink by complaining to Jack. He stayed silent, he was still trying to process what was going on.

"I aint' going to be able to stay in the lodging house if the price doesn't go back." Mattie whispered to Jack. His eyes snapped down to her. She had the same terrified look on her face when he had found her, alone and hungry in the street. The pit in his stomach grew. He wouldn't let that happen to her again. He didn't even think about his next move. He slipped his arm around her pulling her to his side in a way of comfort and protection. She was stunned at first, not making any move to return his embrace. Hoever she found herself melting into his side. She buried her face in his side, trying to find a safe place in his scent.

"It don't make no sense, all the money Pulitzer's makin,' why would he gouge us?" Mush asked trying to see the reason for the raise in price.

"He's a tight wad that's why." Race countered. Jack looked around at his newsies. He was going to get to the bottom of this and quick. He released Mattie, much to her dismay. He instead took her hand and dragged her with him up to the counter where Weasel stood. She bit her bottom lip fighting the happy smile that threatened to spread across her face. Only she would find happiness in this situation.

"So why the jack up Weasel?" Jack asked the middle aged man behind the counter. Weasel smirked.

"Why not? It's a nice day." Weasel said. "Why don't you ask Mr. Pulitzer. "

Jack huffed before stepping away from the counter. He released Mattie's hand and took a seat on the steps. His head pounded with all of thoughts running through his head. He had already had a lot on his plate. With all of these things happening with Mattie and how he vowed to never let anything happen to her again, and now this he felt very overwhelmed. Mattie saw his emotion stricken face and squatted in front of him placing a hand on his shoulder. He locked eyes with her and immediately felt better. She had no idea what kind of effect she had on him. Neither did he.

"They can't do this to me Jack!" Blink shouted.

"They can do whatever they want it's their stinkin' paper." Race muttered back. His blank outlook on this situation made Jack feel like it was hopeless. _What could street rats like us do? _He tried to listen to all their complaints but there were too many thoughts and words going through his mind.

"Look we got no choice. Let's get out lousy papes while they still got some." Mush suggested. The boys grumbled but were about to follow Mush's suggestion when Jack finally spoke almost shouting.

"No! Nobody's going anywhere!" Jack commanded angrily. Mattie flinched at his tone, but looked to him again, catching his attention.

"The boy's gotta' eat Jack. You gotta' eat. I gotta' eat." Mattie told him trying to get him to see reason. If they didn't sell they would all starve. She shivered remembering the feeling of being starving. It was a feeling she never wanted anyone to feel. She never would never wish the feeling of slowly dying and not knowing when your last day would come. She was just as angry as everyone else was about the price change but there was nothing a bunch of kids could do to change things. That's what they were, kids.

"They can't get away with this." Jack said to Mattie trying to get her on his side. They had a stare down before Les broke through.

"Clear out, give him some room. Give him some room!" Les commanded clearing space for Jack to breathe. Mattie stood taking a step back not taking her eyes off Jack. "Let him think!"

Everyone stopped grumbling and mumbling to themselves. It was quiet, something Mattie wasn't accustomed to with these boys. Blink handed Jack a cigarette so he could clear his head. It wasn't even a minute before someone broke the silence.

"Hey Jack… you done thinkin' yet?" Race asked slightly irritated. Mattie sent him an incredulous look, he only shrugged.

"Hey!" Weasel called. "_World_ employee's only on this side of the gate!"

Everyone shouted at the man and his nephews safe in their little room with the metal bars protecting them. Mattie turned angrily and flipped them off in a very un lady like fashion. That was when Mattie saw David. He walked down toward her giving her a weak smile. She forced a smile back as he approached.

"Listen! One things for sure." Jack began. "If we don't sell papes no one sells papes. Nobody comes through those gates 'til they put the price back where it was."

"What do you mean like a strike?" David asked in a monotone voice. Mattie looked over her shoulder at him giving him a look. _Where the hell did that come from?_

"Yeah like a strike." Jack replied. The newsies mumbled to themselves and looked at each other.

"Jack…" Mattie warned. Out of all of Jack's wild ideas, this was the most farfetched. There was no way that a bunch of kids could organize and actually make a difference. That just wasn't how this world worked.

"You outta' your mind?" Racetrack asked saying what Mattie was thinking.

"It's a good idea!" Jack said defensively. David pushed his way to Jack's side.

"Jack I was joking. We can't strike, we don't have a union." David told Jack. Jack turned to look at David and nodded.

"Yeah, but if we go on strike then we are a union right?" Jack asked hopeful.

"No, we're just a bunch of angry kids with no money." David said trying to reason with him. "Maybe if we got every newsie in New York but-"

"We organize. Crutchy you take collection." Jack ordered jumping to his feet. "We'll get all the newsies in New York together."

"Jack this isn't a joke!" David called. "You saw what happened to those trolley workers."

"That's another good idea. Any newsie don't join, we bust their heads like the trolley workers." Jack said determination written all over her face. Mattie ran up to him and grabbed onto his arm. She pulled him around to face her.

"Jack will you just stop and think about this?" She pleaded with him. "What will happen to these boys if we do go on strike?"

"What will happen if we don't?" It wasn't really a question more of a statement. "I thought you were always on my side."

That was a low blow. He knew she would always support him no matter what, and he just used that against her. He wanted her to believe that he could do this. She was more worried about the others than anyone else. Sure she liked the whole idea of a strike, but David was right. They were a bunch of poor kids who didn't stand a chance.

"I am Jack. But David is right!" She told him. "You can't just rush everyone into this."

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. She was right; he couldn't bring everyone into this. He had always acted on impulse. Mattie was always the one to pull him back into reality. He sighed, not knowing what to do next.

"Alright, let me think about it." Jack said, taking her hand once more and leading her and the others to the statue away from the distribution center. They all stood there speaking to each other in confusion and anger. He rubbed the back of his neck before turning back to the newsies.

"Listen! Dave's right. Pulitzer and Heart and all them rich fellas' they own this city." Jack yelled catching the newsie's attention.

"Do we think street rats like us can make any difference?" Jack asked, the boys only shrugged. "Then the choice has got to be yours. Are we gonna' take what they give us or are we gonna' strike?"

"Strike!" Les yelled excitedly. The boys looked around before following Les' lead. Jack turned to Mattie who was leaning against the stature. She looked emotionless and as he made his way to her she felt her resolve crumble.

"What say you?" He asked. She hesitated looking around at the newsies. They were all ready to strike, and she figured she was too. She looked down at Les who nodded frantically. She smiled lightly before locking eyes with Jack again. He was pleading with her to join them. She smiled widely before letting out a long breath.

"I'm with ya' Kelly." She said. A grin spread on his face at her. She felt her heart pound at the smile he had given her. She realized that even if he asked her to commit murder she would do it just to see him smile. _I got it bad,_ she thought to herself solemnly.

"Keep talkin' Jack!" Boots called. "Tell us what to do."

Jack didn't know what to say, so he licked his lips and turned to David. David stood there warily looking at Jacks expectant face.

"Tell us what to do Dave." Jack said. This was followed by several other boys encouraging David to speak. He didn't look close to cracking so Mattie stepped in. She moved around to stand in between Jack and David. Both boys looked down at her confused.

"C'mon David. We need you." She told him. He locked eyes with her and his wall crumbled down to the ground. _It's all in the eyes,_ he told himself remembering last night when she told him her secret to getting people to do what she wanted. She was right, it worked, because he found himself speaking without thinking.

"Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect our rights." David said eyes not leaving Mattie. Jack looked between the two before he turned to the newsies.

"Hey listen! Pulitzer and Hearst have to respect the rights of the working boys of New York!" Jack yelled, followed by loud cheers. Jack turned back to David speaking over Mattie's shoulder.

"Well that worked out pretty good. What else?" Jack asked. Mattie suppressed the shiver that dared to inch up her spine when she felt Jack's hot breath on her neck.

"Tell 'em that they can't treat us like we don't exist." David said. Jack turned and jumped up onto the statue so everyone around could see and hear him. Mattie looked up in awe at him. Jack was a natural born leader, someone people aspired to be. David's eyes fell on Mattie seeing her watching Jack with a loving look. He felt his heart tighten. She felt his eyes on her so she looked to him. He smiled weakly, and she smiled as well before turning back to Jack trying to look more interested in his words than anything.

"_Pulitzer and Hearst_

_They think we're nothin'_

_Are we nothin'? "_Jack yelled.

_"No!" _The newsies replied.

"We stick together like the trolley workers and they can't break us up." David informed Jack.

_"Pulitzer and Hearst_

_They think they got us_

_Do they got us?" _Jack continued ripping a couple newspapers in half.

_"No!" _The boys, and Mattie, yelled back.

"We're a union now, the newsboys union. We gotta' start acting like one." David yelled getting more excited.

_"Even though we ain't got hats or badges_

_We're a union just by saying so_

_And the world will know!" _Jack shouted gesturing wildly to the sky. 

"What's to stop others from selling all our papes?" Boots asked.

"We'll take to them." Mattie told the young boy.

"Some of them don't hear so good." Racetrack added.

"Well then we'll soak 'em!" Jack yelled causing the boys to cheer.

"No! We can't beat up kids in the street. It will give us a bad name!" David shouted at Jack but he didn't listen. Someone threw a large stick at Jack, which he caught effortlessly.

_"What's it gonna take to stop the wagons?_

_Are we ready?" _Jack asked.

_"Yeah!" _The crowd replied.

"No!" David called over the cheers.

_"What's it gonna take to stop the scabbers?_

_Can we do it?" _Jack continued.

_"Yeah!" _They yelled back.

_"We'll do what we gotta do_

_Until we break the will of mighty Bill and Joe" _Jack vowed breaking the stick in his hand.

"_And the world will know" _Everyone sang, joining in.__

"And the Journal too

_Mister Hearst and Pulitzer_

_Have we got news for you_

_Now the world will hear_

_What we got to say_

_We been hawkin' headlines_

_But we're makin' 'em today_

_And our ranks will grow"_

_"And we'll kick their rear" _Crutchy added excitedly.

_"And the world will know_

_That we been here" _They yelled ripping newspapers and gesturing. Jack jumped down from the statue and began walking through the crowd.

_"When the circulation bell starts ringin'_

_Will we hear it?" _Jack asked.

_"No!" _Was the answer from the newsies.

_"What if the Delanceys come out swingin'_

_Will we hear it?" _Jack challenged.

_"No!"_ They shouted back.

_"When you got a hundred voices singin'_

_Who can hear a lousy whistle blow?_

_And the world will know_

_That this ain't no game_

_That we got a ton of rotten fruit and perfect aim_

_So they gave their word_

_But it ain't worth beans_

_Now they're gonna see_

_What "stop the presses" really means_

_And the day has come_

_And the time is now_

_And the fear is gone"_

_"And our name is mud" _Boots added.

_"And the strike is on"_

_"And I can't stand blood" _Boots continued.

_"And the world will…" _

_"Pulitzer may own the World but he don't own us!" _Jack yelled catching David's attention.

_"Pulitzer may own the World but he don't own us!" _The newsies repeated.

_"Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!" _Mattie added grabbing onto David's shirt.

_"Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!"_ The newsies chorused.

_"And the world will know_

_And the world will learn_

_And the world will wonder how we made the tables turn_

_And the world will see_

_That we had to choose_

_That the things we do today will be tomorrow's news_

_And the old will fall_

_And the young stand tall_

_And the time is now_

_And the winds will blow_

_And our ranks will grow and grow and grow and so_

_The world will feel the fire_

_And finally know!" _ The newsie's finished, David finally joining in. Jack took the chalk from the headline board and wrote S-T-R-I-K-E. The newsboy strike had finally begun.

**Sorry if you couldn't read it that well, I tried to space it out as much as possible. Review please! Thanks!**


	7. Why Can't The Past Just Die?

**Reviews are appreciated. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies.**

**Chapter 7**

"Strike! Strike! Strike!" The boys chanted. Jack climbed down from the headline board landing right in front of Mattie and David. Mattie daringly threw her arms around Jack's neck pulling him in for a tight hug. He tensed at first but melted into her touch wrapping his arms around her waist. She was the one to pull away, which she even surprised herself. He smiled down at her before looking at the boys.

"We gotta' get word out to all the newsies in New York." Jack said. "I need some of those uh, what do you call 'em?"

"Ambassadors?" David offered.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "You guys gotta' be ambastards and go tell the other's we're on strike."

Mattie giggled at Jack's mispronunciation at the word. Jack began calling out who was to go where and get those newsies on their side. He only had one more place left to call.

"What about Brooklyn? Who wants Brooklyn?" Jack asked. The boys looked around none of them offering to take the job. "Come on Spot Conlon's territory."

"What's the matter? You scared of Brooklyn?" He taunted, trying to get anyone to take up the offer.

"We aint' scared of Brooklyn!" Boots yelled. "Spot Conlon… makes us a little nervous.

"Well he doesn't make me nervous." Mattie said stepping forward. "I'll take Brooklyn Jack."

Her words were followed by several laughs. She turned to send a bone chilling glare to the boys who were laughing. They stopped laughing, cracking under her glare. It wasn't a good idea to make Mattie mad, because when she did, all hell broke loose. She turned back around to face Jack. He had a look on his face that Mattie didn't like.

"What's the matter?" She asked. He looked around before taking her off to the side. "What are you doing?"

"Mattie…. You aint' going to Brooklyn." He told her. Her jaw fell open and her eyes widened. He had never said no to her before.

"What?" She asked flabbergasted. "Why the hell not?"

"After what happened yesterday, I'm afraid to let you go anywhere." He admitted. His eyes scanned over the now purple bruise below her eye. She looked away trying hard to keep herself calm. When she looked back at him he could see the fire in her eyes.

"I'm goin' to Brooklyn." She said. He put his hands on her shoulders, holding on to her firmly.

"No you're not." He repeated. "Brooklyn aint' the place for you."

She let out a small scoffing laugh. She knew exactly why he wasn't letting her go, and it both angered and hurt her that he would say it. She looked into his eyes, masking the pain she felt with anger.

"No what you mean is… Brooklyn aint' the place for a girl." She said. "You're no better then them."

He opened his mouth to speak but she was done. She shook her head pushing past him and going into the crowd. She made her way through the boys, steam coming out of her ears. She could hear a couple of boys say 'ooooo,' but she didn't care. She couldn't believe that Jack would do tha. She was no damsel in distress, and he should know that. She was just as tough, of tougher than most of those boys. But because she was a girl she wouldn't be allowed to help out. She wasn't scared of Spot Conlon, well maybe a little. But she was brave enough to head out there to talk to him. If anyone should be able to go to Brooklyn it should have been her.

She stomped angrily back to the lodging house, kicking small rocks on the streets. She wasn't stupid, Brooklyn wasn't the safest place to be, but she knew that she would have been okay. Spot wouldn't have let anything happen to her on his turf. He didn't want a war with Manhattan any more than Manhattan wanted a war with Brooklyn. If she was hurt in Brooklyn, Spot would have been blamed. She stormed into the front door to see a surprised Kloppman sitting behind his desk.

"Sell your papers that quick?" The elderly man asked. She didn't speak until she hopped up on to his desk.

"Not exactly." She said, then went into the story about how they had decided to go on strike. Kloppman was very interested in the story, congratulating them on finally taking a stand. She then began to tell him about how the boys were headed to different parts of New York to bring all the newsies together.

"So, Jack was telling everyone where to go. No one wanted Brooklyn so I told him I would take it. Then Jack said I wasn't going! Right in front of everyone Klopp!" She said still angry about the situation. "Can you believe that?"

"So you're upset with him." Kloppman concluded.

"What gave you that idea?" She asked sarcastically. He chuckled, shaking his head. "I've never felt like such…. Such a…. a girl."

"You are a girl Mattie." He said. She rolled her eyes.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm any less than any of those boys." She said sternly. "What kills me the most is that Jack was the one to say it. He downed me because I was a girl in front of everyone."

"He hurt you." Kloppman stated. She hesitated but nodded anyway. She knew Jack hadn't meant to hurt her. "Did you ever think that maybe he was trying to protect you?"

"Well yeah… but… I don't need his protection." She said.

"Seems to me like you do." Kloppman said pointing to her bruise. Mattie reached for her cheek barely touching it. It still hurt, and looked terrible.

"That was different." She mumbled. She loved Jack, and she never thought she would ever stop. Sometimes he just got on her last nerve though. Especially when it came to her being a girl stuff. She wasn't weak, or at least she tried not to be. She was weak yesterday, which is why she received this bruise and why Jack had to save her ass. She sighed to herself, knowing what Kloppman was trying to get at.

"Can you imagine what Jack would do if you were hurt in Brooklyn? He would go out there angry and upset and most likely get himself hurt. Brooklyn isn't a game Mattie." Kloppman said. "Jack has your best interests at heart, because he cares about you."

"I care about him too…" She said not going any further into her feelings.

"Then maybe it was a good idea you stayed here. Jack wasn't trying to protect you because you're a girl." Kloppman continued. "Jack was trying to protect you because you're special to him."

She looked at the old man and smiled. He smiled as well before speaking again.

"I remember when he first brought you here. It had rained and I had a hard day. I was just about to go to bed when in walks in twelve-year-old Jack Kelly, holding the hand of a small girl." He said with a grin. "He then proceeds to tell me how he found you in an alley and that you needed a place to stay. Of course this was a news _boy_ lodging house so I was reluctant. But after seeing your terrified little face and Jack's protective nature, I let you stay."

"Yeah, I remember. The other boys were so mad." She said laughing at the memory. "Then Jack told them to be nice to me, and we became fast friends… I think that was the day I…."

She trailed off realizing what was about to come out of her mouth. She looked down not meeting the eyes of her wise father figure. Kloppman smiled to himself. He had an idea of what she was about to say. He could see the way she looked at Jack. He only wished that the boy saw it too.

"Did you know that the night he brought you here he stayed by your side the whole time?" Kloppman asked. She looked up shaking her head no. "Well he did. He slept on the floor next to your bunk. He insisted on making sure you were okay."

Her eyes scanned the old man before looking away. She had no idea that Jack had done that. Maybe he cared more than she thought. She knew Jack cared, but he had no reason to save her. He had only been a year older than her. She remembered the day vividly. She remembered every detail of that fateful day.

_Flashback_

_Manhattan New York, 1895_

_It was a cold winters day. A light dusting of snow was covering the ground and people huddled to their coats to keep warm. It didn't help that there was a slight breeze blowing making everyone even more miserable. It was evening, the sun would set soon, and people made their ways home. To the warmth of a family and house or apartment. However, there was a small bundle hiding in an alley. _

_The bundle was shivering under a thin ripped burlap sack. The sack didn't provide much warmth to the small girl under it. Her teeth were chattering as she tried to keep warm. She closed her eyes trying to think of warm thoughts. She thought of desserts, warm quilts, and the warm embrace of her mother._

"_Mother." She wept, knowing that the person she really wanted would never come to her. A small tear fell down her face. She missed her mother so dearly. She thought of her every second of the day. She thought about the old days when she would come home to a small meal that hadn't seemed substantial but compared to where she was now, she missed those small plates of food. She missed her mothers constant nagging. She missed her mother holding her when she had a nightmare. _

_She missed her home, the home she was taken from and put in an orphanage. She did not miss the orphanage though. At that terrible place she was yelled at and scolded for things she didn't do. The other girls would blame her for their wrong doings because they knew they could get away with it. She ended up running away, but even though she was away from those girls she found new enemies. Freezing temperatures and hunger. Her stomach growled as she thought about the last time she had eaten something substantial. It had been a while. She was giving up. She had no way or reason to stay alive. Why torture herself anymore? _

_She just wanted to be put out of her misery. No one had even tried to help her. She knew people had seen her, and they hadn't tried to save her. The socialites that passed her by would look at her in disgust. The poor people didn't bother knowing they wouldn't be able to help her. They had enough to deal with. She looked up at the sky willing God to take her away. She wanted to be with her mother. She wanted to get away from this cruel world._

"_Why? Why did you do this to me?" She whispered. God had taken her mother away from her. He had put her in this situation. She couldn't help but blame him. The God her mother had preached to her about had taken her away from her child. The God that her mother told her to love had sent this small girl to her death. Then again, he didn't make her mother sick. He had taken her away so her mother would no longer suffer. Now if he could only take her suffering away, she could finally be at peace. _

"_Are you alright?" A voice said. Her eyes shot open. They shifted up to a dark figure above her. Fear pricked her stomach. She squinted finally realizing that it was a boy. She just laid there, too frozen and frightened to move. The boy couldn't be much older than her. He wasn't dressed or cleaner than her. Maybe he was a street rat like her. He stood there expectantly waiting for her reply. She wet her lips before speaking._

"_Wha- I'm fine." She lied. She didn't know why she lied. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, but she was almost out of this world and he brought her back. _

"_You sure don't look fine." He said honestly. She eyed him, not knowing if she should trust him. She was angry that he had brought her back. She was so close to be reunited with her mother, and he woke her up._

"_I am." She spat. He watched her, knowing that she must have been freezing. He hadn't ever seen a girl out on the street before. She was putting on a brave front, but he could tell she was terrified. He sighed before sitting down next to her. She shot up into a sitting position. "What are you doing?"_

"_Sitting here until you tell me what's wrong." He shrugged. Her mouth opened and she was about to tell him to leave when her stomach growled. She winced. He watched her suspiciously. He knew she was hungry. He knew the feeling. After his mother died and father went to jail, he had been in the same position she was in now. He prayed to die, until someone took him to Kloppman. He figured she was in the same situation, fearing death was her only option._

"_You have a place to stay?" He asked. She simply nodded her head. However she met his eyes. He was honestly concerned. Her body began acting on its own and she felt herself shaking her head 'no.' He sighed again before standing. He held out his hand. Again her body moved on its own accord. She put her hand in his and he pulled her up. Her legs wobbled, she was so weak. She was sure to fall but the boy caught her around the waist and hoisted her up._

"_Whoah there. Here. I got 'ya." He said leaning down and putting her small arm on his shoulders and he helped her become stable. He then began to lead her from the alley and down the street._

"_Where are we going?" She asked fearing that he would take her back to the orphanage. _

"_Some place warm. A place with food." He said. She should have been suspicious of his vague words, but a warm place with food made her throw all good judgment out the window. _

"_What's your name?" She asked him._

"_Fra- Jack Kelly." He replied. She didn't question his answer. "What about you?"_

"_Matilda Rose Conrad." She told him. He nodded, not continuing their conversation. She found herself watching him instead of watching where she was going. She was so enamored with this boy. He was so calm in this situation. He had no reason to save her, and yet he did. She had lost all faith in the world and it people. Then this boy swoops in and helps her. _

"_That's sure a mouthful." He said trying to keep the conversation light. She laughed slightly._

"_My mother used to call me Mattie… used to." She spoke the last part to herself more than to Jack. He had heard it though. He put the pieces together. Her mother was dead. _

"_Well Mattie. How come you were out in the street?" He asked. She swallowed, not knowing if she should tell him. He hadn't given her a reason not to trust him, but she didn't really want to talk about her past. _

"_It's a long story." She told him. _

"_I'm a pretty good listener." He smirked. She looked up at him, his kind muddy brown eyes willing the story out of her. She then threw herself into the story, telling Jack about how it had always been her mother and her. Her father had left long before Mattie was born, and her mother struggled. She was turned away from many jobs, because of her condition. Once Mattie was born, her mother got a factory job leaving Mattie with an elderly neighbor who agreed to watch Mattie while her mother was at work. Mattie grew up surrounded with love. She never had much, but she was happy. Then her mother became ill, and only a few months before that very moment, her mother had passed. _

"_Sorry." Jack told her. Mattie nodded blinking back her tears. "You know… my ma's dead too."_

"_Really?" She asked, jumping at the chance to have someone who could understand her situation. _

"_Yeah. She's been dead for a while, and my pa… he got into some trouble." He continued. She nodded understanding what he meant. Jack then told her his story. How his father was an abusive drunk, his mother commiting suicide, his fathers rampage after her death. He told her about how he had come to Manhattan without a penny to his name. He started out like her, alone, hungry, scared. Then he found the newsies, being taken in by an older boy who said Jack had 'potential.' He even told her his real name, something he changed just in case his father was ever released and came after him. She realized that she and this boy had more in common than she had first figured. Of course his childhood had been much more violent, however he knew the same sense of lose she had. They were thrown into this cruel world without any help. They were outcasts, having to take care of themselves. She enjoyed the feeling of finally being understood and having someone to talk to. Neither of them knew at the time but, this boy was saving her, in more ways than one. And she herself was saving him as well. _

_End Flashback_

Mattie sighed bringing herself back into reality. She hadn't thought about that day for a long time. She hadn't needed to. Now, Kloppman was bringing it back. Mattie never thought just how much Jack must care for her. He had saved her more than once, and he didn't have to. He didn't have to bring her to the lodging house. He didn't have to befriend her. He didn't have to steal food for her. He didn't have to go to the refuge for her. He didn't have to save her life. Yet he did. It was no wonder she fell for him. She never thought about how much Jack must have cared about her.

"Mattie?" Kloppman said. She looked back to him before smiling.

"Thanks Kloppman. Need me to do anything while I'm here?" She asked. She needed something to clear her head.

"That bunk room could use a good cleanin'." He suggested. She hopped down from the desk and turned back to him.

"God knows them bums won't clean it." She muttered before heading up the stairs. Kloppman laughed out loud before returning to his work.

* * *

On the other side of town Jack, Boots, and David were crossing the Brooklyn bridge. Jack had stayed quiet most of the trip, letting Boots yap David's ear off. Jack's mind was elsewhere. He couldn't get the look on Mattie's face out of his head. He had hurt her feelings yet again. He didn't mean to hurt her in any way, shape, or form. He needed to start watching his mouth, thinking before he spoke. It seemed now a days he could do anything right, granted he was doing what he thought was best. He wanted so bad for her to be safe, and the only place he saw safe was the lodging house. He had always been protective yeah, but so were the other boys. It had hit him yesterday when she was hit that he could lose her that quick. He couldn't lose her. As much as she needed him, he needed her. Thinking about a world where she wasn't there, sent a shiver up Jack's back.

"Hey Jack." David said knocking Jack from his thoughts. Jack turned slightly but still continuing his strides. The quicker they got to Brooklyn the better.

"Yeah?" Jack replied.

"How come you wouldn't let Mattie come along?" He asked. David was merely curious. He figured that after yesterday, Jack wouldn't have let Mattie out of his sight. David was even worried. He knew that Mattie could take care of herself. She was strong, and un afraid. However, seeing her cheek this morning he felt the same anger Jack had felt yesterday.

"Brooklyn aint' safe." Boots answered for Jack. David's eyebrows knitted together. He had heard about Brooklyn and how tough the people there were. He never imagined that it would be so bad that Jack wouldn't let Mattie anywhere near it. From the sounds of it Mattie wasn't afraid of Brooklyn or its notorious leader Spot Conlon. Why should Jack be afraid for her?"

"Well, if she's with us I don't see-" David began but stopped when Jack whirled around to face him. His face was all business.

"You don't see a problem with it? Is that it?" Jack said slightly angry. "You have no idea."

"Jack I was just saying-"David tried to reason with him but Jack wasn't having it.

"Can you imagine what could happen to her? Tell me tough guy if a dozen give or take a few thugs with chains and clubs came after you what would you do?" Jack asked. David didn't reply. He didn't know what he would do. He would end up getting hurt he knew that, and as a result his friends could get hurt.

"That's what I thought." Jack continued. "You, me, and Boots wouldn't be able to fight them off and something could happen to Mattie."

"But why-" David tried again.

"Why would they want to get ahold of her? Are you really that naïve?" Jack asked. He couldn't believe how stupid David's questions were. He knew that the kid had been sheltered his whole life, but he never realized how sheltered her was from the real world and its people.

"Did you not understand what happened yesterday? Well it would be ten times worse here. Believe me when I tell you that some of these guys would be itching to get their hands on someone as beautiful and innocent as Mattie." Jack finished. He sent a pointed look at David before turning back around and continuing their journey. Both Boots and David stood there in shock. David hadn't thought of that. He guessed he wasn't thinking. There was no way that he or Jack would let anything happen to her. David just wasn't thinking straight.

"He cares about her a lot." David mumbled to Boots. Boots looked up at the slightly taller boy, seeing the love stricken face he was giving. Boots sighed to himself, figuring the outcome of this story.

"You have no idea." Boots replied before trying to catch up with Jack.


	8. I'm Not Waiting For You Anymore

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed, added, or simply read my story. I really do appreciate it. I know that a lot of authors stop a story if they don't get a whole ton of reviews. I plan on finishing this story because I have the whole thing planned. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies, it's plot, or songs.**

**Chapter 8**

By the time the boys came back to the lodging house, Mattie had practically cleaned the whole place. She had scrubbed the floors in the bunk room, wash room, and the lobby. She had made the boys beds and washed towels which were hanging on the fire escape to dry. She had even gone into her room and cleaned up a bit. She had done a good job keeping all of her thoughts about Jack at bay, or she tried. Sometimes images of him peeped into her mind. She was proud of herself for pushing the images out of her mind. She wiped her brow as she picked herself up off the floor. She felt a sense of pride, having cleaned the room spotless. She remembered having to clean her old home with her mother. She had hated it then, but now she missed having responsibilities.

She turned upon hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. Every one of the boys came into the room, looking defeated and forlorn. She narrowed her eyes. They were suspiciously quiet. She knew that when they were quiet something was wrong. They said nothing to her, they didn't even look at her. THey simply scattered around the room, not even noticing that it was clean. When she saw Jack emerge from the stairs she went up to him and was about to speak but he walked right past her.

Her heart dropped. Something must have been really bad for Jack to completely brush her off like that. Or maybe he was mad at her for leaving this morning. She bit her bottom lip trying to hold back anything she would say to him or the tears that dared to flow. David was the last to come up the steps. He looked just as upset as the others did, but he did meet her eyes. She took a few steps up to him, speaking in hushed tones.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well." She said trying to be as quiet as possible. He looked down at her confused and worried face. He knew that the information that the boys were going to give her was going to crush her. He didn't want to be the one to say anything; he always hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Spot doesn't think we're serious." He told her. She nodded but still looked at him suspiciously. She knew that there was more to what he was letting on to. David was easy for her to read, unlike a lot of the boys. Her eyes searched his face. He looked away, not saying anything more.

"Something else is wrong." She said knitting her eyebrows. Seeing that David wasn't going to speak she turned to the other boys. They were looking in all directions. She swallowed. She was so sick and tired of being protected. She wanted to know what was happening. She had most likely been through a hell of a lot worse. Her eyes scanned the room once more and realized someone was missing. Her stomach dropped and she felt her breathing pick up.

"Where's Crutchy?" She asked, surprised by the fact that her voice was steady. Again no one spoke. She looked around and after an agonizing silent minute she spoke again. "Someone talk to me."

Jack looked up. He hated seeing her hurting. Her face was covered in confusion an concern. He wanted to tell her, what had happened, but he knew her reaction would be a hell of a lot worse than she was now.

"Please." She pleaded her voice cracking. Jack winced at her pained voice. He looked away swallowing hard. Race looked to Jack, seeing that he wasn't going to speak. He sighed taking a couple of steps up to Mattie. She looked at him with pleading eyes. His lips formed a hard-line as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"The bulls got him." Race said slowly. Mattie's eyes widened as she looked at her friend. _Why would the bulls take Crutchy?_

"What?" She asked. Race looked down to his shoes before meeting her eyes again. He felt for her, all the boys did. Sure they all cared about Crutchy and were worried about him, but she was on the verge of tears. She loved Crutchy, like her own flesh and blood.

"We uh… we went into the World, and well… they called the bulls. Crutchy didn't get out in time." Racetrack explained. Race had always been a smooth talker, to hear him have a hard time with words made Mattie feel even worse about the situation. She immediately regretted running off that morning. If she had been there she may have gotten Crutchy out, or at least he wouldn't be alone. She felt terrible and guilty for not being there for her friend. The thought of Crutchy scared and alone in a jail cell made her shiver.

"Where would they have taken him?" David finally spoke. The boys shrugged or grunted a 'I don't know.'

"The refuge." Someone answered. Mattie turned to look directly at Jack. He was leaning against his bed post looking blank and emotionless. Mattie didn't skip a beat as she strode up to him until she was directly in front of him. He didn't look up to her like she expected. He continued to stare at the floor. She huffed before speaking.

"Well we gotta' get him out." She said directly to Jack. The boys spoke up agreeing with her which fueled her desire to free Crutchy from that prison. Jack looked around at the others but didn't make any attempt to speak

"How do we do it?" Mush asked curiously.

"Most likely Teddy Roosevelt won't be there for a jail break this time." Blink concluded. Mattie looked at the one-eyed boy before looking back to Jack. He hadn't moved. He was now fiddling with the hem of his vest. She was beginning to get irritated at the fact he wouldn't speak or even look at her.

"Jack? Are you even listening?" She asked. He didn't respond. "We have to get Crutchy ou-"

"Don't you think I know that?" He snapped finally meeting her eyes. She jumped back, out of shock. He had never snapped at her before. He immediately regretted yelling at her. He hadn't meant to. Looking at her now, he knew he had screwed up royally. She looked away setting her jaw angrily. The boys stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

"We'll head out when it gets dark. Be harder for them to catch us when they can't see." Jack said looked up at the boys. They nodded or grunted in response. Mattie just stood there chewing on her lip. She wanted to tell Jack everything. She wanted to scream at him how she felt about everything he had said to her. She wanted to tell him that so she could say that even though he was being a complete jerk, and yet she couldn't help but love him. She wanted to be mad at him, but she was more hurt than angry. She took a deep breath before breaking the silence.

"Good plan. You, David, and I we head out-"Mattie said trying to lighten the mood. Jack caught her arm, causing her to stop speaking. He dragged her out of the room. He didn't want to cause a scene in front of the boys more than he already had. When he stopped she wrenched her arm from his hand. She was getting tired of him treating her like she was a child.

"What is your problem?" She asked not caring who heard her.

"You're not going tonight." He told her quietly. She let out a laugh laced with her irritation.

"Oh really?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes really." He replied looking down at her with as much determination he could muster.

"You can't expect me to just wait around her until you get back." She said incredulously. "If Snyder catches you-"

"He 'aint gonna' catch me." Jack interrupted her.

"You don't know that!" She practically screamed. "I am not going to wait around her wondering and worrying if Snyder saw you."

"You don't have to worry because Snyder's never gonna' catch me." He told her, becoming more agitated. He was doing this to make sure she didn't get caught. He was trying to protect her.

"God Jack! You're not invincible!" She said. "Anything could happen to you. One wrong move and you're back in the refuge or worse."

"That's why it's better that you aren't there. At least one of us will be safe." He said trying to convince her. She shook her head.

"I'm not staying here." She told him.

"Mattie! Please! Just stay here and wait for me." He begged. She clenched her jaw. Looking away from him a minute. For some reason his words hit her hard. Jack said he was trying to protect her, but this was too much. Jack was _telling_ her what she was going to do. He was treating her like a child, not a friend. She swallowed back the tears pricking her eyes before turning back to face him.

"I'm not waiting for you anymore." She practically whispered. "I'm done, waiting for you."

Jack's eyebrows knitted together trying to process her words. She gave him one last look before turning to her door and retiring to her room. Jack heard the distinct sound of the door locking. He reached for the door knob even though he knew he wouldn't be able to get in. He didn't try to open it, he just rested his forehead on the wood.

"Dammit." He cursed to himself. He had messed up, and now it seemed like he wasn't going to be able to fix it.

* * *

Once she was safe inside her room she quickly locked the door. She couldn't take anymore of the pain he was inflicting. She turned and leaned her back on the door before a sob left her mouth. She hadn't meant to let it escape, but she couldn't control it. The tears began to pour from her eyes as she slid down the door. She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She cried into her legs, hiding her face.

She wanted to scream, or punch a wall. She felt so hurt, and was even surprised she had stood up to him. She had told him that she wouldn't wait for him anymore, but she didn't know if she was strong enough to not hope that he would one day return her feelings. She had to try. Jack had changed. He had become over protective and controlling. She had thought it was because he was guilty about her getting hurt, but it was much more. She would no longer be a door mat. She had more respect for herself than that. Even though it hurt, she would have to try to forget about her feelings. She would have to make things go back to the way they were. She had to try, or she would be hurting for the rest of her life.

* * *

About an hour later, Mattie lie in her bed staring at the wall. She had cried all of her tears out, and now she was wallowing in her own self-pity. She had heard a couple of the boys pass by her room, whispering to each other. She barely made out their words.

"_Do you think she's alright?", "When do you think she will come out?", _and _"He must have really did a number on her." _were very common. Racetrack even threatened to punch Jack's lights out. Mattie had laughed slightly, but it didn't even sound like her. It sounded so foreign to her. She wanted to feel okay, but she knew she was far from okay. Her eyes shifted to the window, seeing the sun would be setting soon. She sat up stretching herself out. She continued to stare out her window when an idea hit her. Why should she sit around when she could help Crutchy? She couldn't just selfishly sit by while Crutchy was in that horrible place. She stood on her feet, her legs slightly wobbly. She pulled out everything she would need and changed. She grabbed her cap from her dresser and pulled her hair into it. She rubbed at her eyes trying to wipe away any stray tears. Where she was going, there were no tears.

* * *

As Jack and David headed down the street to the refuge, Jack couldn't help but feel terrible. Mattie hadn't come out of her room since their argument. He never meant for things to escalade like that. He never wanted to hurt her. Her last statement continued to run through his head.

"_I'm not waiting for you anymore." _He couldn't help but sense the double meaning in her statement. _What exactly did she mean about it? _

"Jack?" David said knocking Jack out of his trance. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Jack asked putting on a brave face. David saw right through it. He had heard a lot of Jack and Mattie's conversation. He knew that this was the biggest fight they had ever had. From what he heard it was a painful conversation

"Well… uh… Mattie-" David began but stopped when Jack turned to face him.

"Mattie and I are fine." Jack defended. "Friends fight. Not a big deal."

"From the sound of it, it is a big deal." David told Jack.

"Well, it's not. Everything will be fine." Jack said. David sighed looking at Jack. He knew it wasn't that simple. Mattie was hurt, and from the looks of it so was Jack.

"She seemed pretty upset to me." David said. Jack huffed rubbing the back of his neck angrily. David didn't know anything about the situation.

"I said she would be fine." Jack said irritated. "I'm going to make sure of it."

"I have no doubt about that. She may be fine, but what about you? She's not the only one that got hurt in that argument." David said. Jack opened his mouth before closing it again. Yeah he was upset, but more at himself. He had broken his own promise. He told himself he wasn't going to let her get hurt again, and he hurt her.

"She's never going to forgive me." Jack mumbled. David took a few steps forward until he rested a hand on Jack's shoulder. He didn't want Jack feeling sorry for himself.

"She will. You guys are best _friends._" David said. Jack looked at him but didn't respond. The way David said friends didn't sit well with Jack. Mattie was his best friend, but the way David said it made it seem like he was telling Jack that they were friends and nothing else. He didn't like that, and he didn't understand why.

* * *

Mattie was taking large steps as she crossed the bridge into Brooklyn. It was beginning to get dark and the darker it got the more nervous she became. Sure she had wanted to go earlier, but that was when the sun was out. She felt better when the sun was up in any town. The moon didn't only bring out darkness, but also the drunks and prostitutes from the bars. She felt herself shiver. She had stuffed her hair into her cap, trying to keep herself from danger. Looking like a boy would only do so much. If something happened she would have to fight like a boy as well.

She began picking up speed when she realized how dark it was getting. She was nervous, not scared, just jumpy. She had to do this though. She had to do it for Crutchy. She couldn't be selfish or scared. She had to do anything she could. She had been so far up Jack's ass she had forgotten who she was. She was independent and strong. She was Mattie Conrad, and she was her own boss.

When she finally made it into Brooklyn she found it harder to find the Brooklyn new boys lodging house than she originally thought. It made it even harder that it was practically pitch black outside. Her only light was a couple street lamps dotting the street. From the looks of it no one was out, but she still searched and listened to everything around her. She didn't want to be snuck up on. She would have a better chance if she saw who or what would come after her. She walked down the street trying her hardest to look and walk like a boy. It was harder than she thought. She had never had to hide the fact that she was a girl, but now it could save her tail.

After a few minutes of searching she was about to give up when she saw a small boy running into a brick building. She looked at the sign seeing the light outline of its name. _News Boy Lodging_, was printed on the building. She took a breath before walking toward the building. It looked a lot like the Manhattan lodging house, just much less well kept. It was old and used from the looks of it. The steps were cracked, the brick was covered in pigeon feces, and there was even a broken window. This building screamed Brooklyn, tough and hard to break.

She took the steps up to the front door slowly. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say. She hadn't planned this well, seeing as it was a spur the moment decision. She had to do this though. If she didn't she would be a coward, and Mattie was no coward. Once she was at the front door she took a deep breath. She raised her small hand and rapped a couple of times on the door. She took a step back figuring the further she was from light, the less she could look like a girl.

She was about to give up after two minutes passed. However, she found the door open revealing an elderly man. He reminded her of a cold, hard, version of Kloppman. She assumed that he was the care taker for the Brooklyn newsies. He sure fit the part. He was older, but he still had a slight build to him. He had a scowl on his face that read that he meant business. His eyes were icy blue, frozen by years of dealing with restless children. He didn't look to be a happy man at all.

"What?" The man asked. He didn't sound happy either. He had a raspy voice, from years of smoking. Mattie cleared her throat before speaking.

"I uh… need to see Spot Conlon." She answered in her best boy voice. The man eyed her up and down determining if he had ever seen this kid before. She felt uncomfortable under his hard gaze, but she tried her best not to show it. The man met her eyes once more before nodding. He shut the door leaving her standing there. She stood on her tip toes trying to see through the small window on the door. She couldn't reach it. She huffed going back to the balls of her feet. She paced outside the door hoping the man was actually going to get the Brooklyn leader. After about five minutes she shook her head sending the building a glare. Either the man hadn't gotten the message to who she was looking for, or Spot wasn't coming down. She sighed turning to leave when the door burst open. She whipped around and her breath hitched when she saw him.

"What!? What could anyone possibly need now?" Spot Conlon asked angrily gesturing with his arms. Mattie bit her bottom lip and felt her cheeks heat up. She looked down trying not to stare at him. Spot was clad in just his pants, red suspenders, and cap. Her eyes settled on his icy blue orbs, even colder than the old mans. His eyes looked her over and his brows knitted together. He didn't recognize her until his eyes landed on her face. He began smirking when he realized who it was standing before her.

"Well, well, well. I'd know them lips anywhere." He admitted cheekily. "Mattie Conrad, what are you doing on my side of town?"

"Hi Spot." She replied. Spot had always annoyed her. He was cocky, a trait she loathed in men. She couldn't exactly blame him. All the girls fawned over him, whether it be for his looks, or power Spot had all the girls in New York at his disposal. That is except Mattie. He had been trying to seduce her since he first laid eyes on her. Spot knew that she was beautiful, but she had this air about her. She was un attainable, a challenge. And Spot Conlon never backed down from a challenge.

"Couldn't stay away could 'ya?" He asked. She rolled her eyes. "They never do."

"Oh yeah, you caught me." She scoffed. He chuckled lightly, as he lit the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He took a drag on it and was about to speak again but did a double take finally seeing her bruise. He took a step forward and stared at the purple mark under her eye.

"Whoah, what happened?" He asked.

"Some pervert didn't understand the word no." She shrugged. He narrowed his eyes. When his mama had been alive she taught him to never lay his hands on a woman no matter how mad he was. Sure he didn't respect them enough to be a one lady kind of guy, but he would never physically hurt them

"You okay?" He asked his blue eyes intense. She looked him over, not really sure why he was so worried about her. She and Spot had never been close. She smirked.

"Are you worried about little ol' me?" She asked laughter evident in her voice. She straightened back up, putting his wall back up.

"Don't start." He commanded causing her to smile. "Why are you here Mattie?"

She hesitated. In her mind coming here and talking to Spot Conlon was much easier than actually doing it. She didn't know how to word her request. She knew that what she was going to ask him to do he wouldn't like. She had to try. She knew Spot had made his mind up earlier, and once Spot Conlon's mind was made up, it was hard to change it. She opened her mouth to answer him but he cut her off.

"Don't tell me Jacky boy sent ya' here about this stupid strike business." He said shaking his head.

"No, he didn't. Jack doesn't even know I'm here." She said almost in a whisper. She didn't want to talk about Jack, especially not with Spot Conlon.

"Makes sense. I don't know what I was thinkin.'" Spot said chuckling to himself. She shot him a confused look. "There's no way in hell Jack would send you here by your lonesome."

She sighed looking away. She didn't want to think about Jack especially with Spot. She didn't need him going to Jack and telling him everything she said. Spot wasn't a snitch, but if he had gossip he would tell someone to mess everything up.

"I'm not here because of Jack. I'm here because of Crutchy." She finally said. Spot stared at her puzzled.

"Crutchy? What about him?" He asked leaning on to the railing on the stairs.

"The bulls got him today. They sent him to the refuge." She said cursing herself when her voice cracked.

"Okay… why does he matter to me?" Spot asked. He never really talked to Crutchy before. He only knew that he was the kid with the limp. He was like their pet. It surprised him that he would be able to get caught by the bulls anyway with all those people surrounding him.

"I guess he doesn't, but… listen Spot… about the strike-" She began but Spot let out a loud breath making her stop speaking.

"I already told Jack that I wasn't doing that to my boys." He said slightly irritated that she would ask him. If anyone would understand his position he figured it would be her.

"I know Spot, and believe me I get it but-" She started again but he took a step closer to her and held up his hand.

"I aint' lettin' my boys go hungry for you lot." He said staring her down. "And don't think you can convince me 'cause all the lovin' in the world wouldn't change my mind."

She glared and held back the gag that wanted to escape her throat. Spot Conlon would be the one the try and trick her into his bed. But Mattie was smarter than that. However, she threw flirting out the window as any idea to make him sway her way. She would have to use sympathy and her girlish charm.

"I understand Spot, I really do. One of my boys was caught today." She said sadly. "He's in that awful place probably scared to death."

"And I feel for him, but what does this have to do about the strike?" He asked.

"Everything!" She practically shouted. "There aint' enough of us. We are all gonna' end up in that refuge if you don't help."

He sighed looking away. He knew that the Manhattan newsies couldn't do this alone, and from the looks of it Brooklyn wasn't the only city that was having reservations. If Brooklyn didn't join, Mattie was right, Manhattan would fall. If he joined and the others back out, Brooklyn could fall. If they didn't sell, his boys could starve and he couldn't do that to them. Yeah, he didn't like the price raise, but he could suck it up. Why did they think that a couple of outcasts could do anything?

"I can't do it Mattie." Spot finally spoke. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. She understood his reasoning's. It was a huge decision, one not easily made. She nodded curtly, and turned on her heel walking down the steps.

"Mattie." He called. She turned around to face him. He looked honestly sorry about not joining something she wasn't used to seeing on his face. "I gotta' think about my boys."

"I know." She replied. "And I have to think of mine."

And with that she was gone, disappearing into the darkness. Spot stood there for a second, shaking his head before heading inside. He wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.


	9. No Longer A Love Sick Puppy

**I love reviews! So thank you again to everyone who has reviewed of read my story. I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Newsies or anything associated.**

**Chapter 9**

Mattie tried her best to get back to the lodging house quickly, but the trek from Brooklyn to Manhattan seemed longer since she weren't supposed to be making it. She felt like a failure. She had gone all that way knowing that it wasn't a good idea, and didn't get what she wanted to accomplish done. She understood why Spot had said no, if she were in his position she probably would have done the same thing. Spot wasn't being cold and heartless, which was his usual approach. He was actually thinking of his newsies and their well-being. She couldn't blame Spot; she just wished that it had gone differently. She didn't know what she actually thought he would say. She just hoped that Jack and David succeeded in getting Crutchy out. That way she could feel better about her bitter failure. She wanted him to be safe, that's all she cared about.

When she saw the lodging house in the distance, she felt nervous. She hoped that no one had found she had snuck out. Of course the only one with a key to her room was Kloppman and he kept that hidden. She feared that someone, namely Jack, would get in there, find out she was gone and be angry with her. She shook her head. Jack would have no right to be mad at her. He was the one at fault here. He had no right to tell her how to live her life. He was not her father, not that she ever had one to know a fathers role. She huffed to herself.

Why was it that she could still love him after everything he had said to her? How could she love him after he had turned to controlling? How could she still love him when she knew he didn't feel the same way? Her brain was telling her to let him go, let everything go and move on. Then her heart screamed at her that even if she tried to let him go, she would still be in love with him. She would never stop loving him and she knew that. She hated it, she hated that she loved him. Loving Jack Kelly only brought on heartbreak, and yet there she was, pining for his feelings. She had never asked to fall for him. She had no control over the way she felt. All she could do was wait it out, and pray for a change. Pray for someone else to come along that made her forget Jack. Pray that maybe, one day, Jack would feel the same way.

"God! Why?" She said to herself. The lodging house was gradually coming closer as she walked. She found herself running for the building. She wanted to be in her bed. She needed to try and sleep, even though it would be hard with all these thoughts jumping around her head. When she finally made it, she trekked up the fire escape, trying her best to keep her footsteps silent. She saw her window, open just as she left it. She breathed a sigh of relief, climbing through it. Once her feet were firmly on the ground she turned and closed the window, locking it tightly. She reached for her cap pulling it off her head and letting her hair cascade down her back. She began to work on the buttons of her shirt, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made her whip around.

Her breath hitched seeing a dark figure sitting on her bed. Her eyes widened as she took a step back. The figure stood up slowly and she felt her heart race. If she screamed the boys wouldn't be able to get to her without Kloppman's key and she didn't know what this person could do to her in that time. Her eyes flickered to the window as her only escape route. She took another step back, and so did the figure. He stepped into the moonlight coming through the window. She narrowed her eyes and let the breath she had been holding go.

"Jack! What the hell? You scared me!" She said quietly, visibly relaxing. However, she was still on edge. He must have known that she had snuck out, and she figured he was in her room to yell at her. She ran a hand through her hair not looking at him. Jack's eyes were trained on her, but he did not speak. Her eyes cascaded over him. He was rigid, his hands in fists. His hair was slightly askew, and his face was cover in worry. She waited for him to speak but he didn't. He just stood there staring at her, making sure that she was real and not just an imagination.

"Listen, before you start lecturing-" She said finally but was cut off when Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He enveloped her into a bone crushing hug his arms around her shoulders and back. She was shocked at first, but soon found her arms snaking around his torso. Her eyes fluttered closed as the scent of him hit her. Her brain screamed at her to let him go, but again her heart fought against her willing her to hold on tighter. She couldn't help but notice how perfect she fit in his arms. It was like their bodies were made for one another. She sighed to herself pulling back just enough to look at him. That was all Jack allowed. He seemed to only tighten his grip on her, begging her with his eyes to stay where she was.

"How did you get in here?" She asked eye flickering to the closed door. Her heart sped up again, but she tried to make it look like the closed door didn't affect her. He looked down, reluctantly releasing one of his arms and pulled something out of his pocket. He revealed to her the key he had gotten from Kloppman.

"Ah, I see." She said awkwardly. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know why he was in here, or why he wasn't yelling at her. From his previous behavior, she was willing to bet he would lock her up after her little outing. He would lock her up and swallow the key. She must have looked visibly confused because he sighed finally releasing her fully. She bit her bottom lip, keeping herself from whining for his embrace. He went to sit on her bed, sitting on the edge carefully. Once he was settled he looked up to where she stood.

"I thought I'd lost ya'." He finally spoke. She was taken aback by his statement. She figured he would scold her for disobeying him, but no he sounded relieved. She opened her mouth, but clamped it shut. She didn't know what to say. She was struck dumb.

"I'm real sorry about what I said." He said looking down at his shaking hands. "You were right, I had no place trying to tell ya' what to do."

She simply stared at him still speechless. He looked back up locking eyes with her. His eyes were forlorn, and his apology was written all over his face. He wanted her to know how sorry he was. He wanted her forgiveness, even if he didn't deserve it. When she didn't say anything Jack looked back down, feeling defeated. He had failed. He had failed the boys, Crutchy, and even worse he had failed her. She had every right to be mad at him, hate him even. She could see the sadness on his face. She reached up brushing the brown locks from his face. He looked back up trying his hardest to read her face. She smiled slightly running her hand through his hair. He closed his eyes, liking the feeling of her touch.

"It's okay Jack." She whispered. He stood up abruptly.

"It's not okay. Not the way I acted." Jack said slightly louder than he had intended it to be. He ran a hand over his face as he began to pace the room. Mattie watched in silence as he battled with himself. She felt bad for him, but there wasn't much more she could say.

"I promised that I wasn't gonna' let anyone hurt you again. Then I go and act all high and mighty." He said running a hand through his hair before turning back to look at her. She took a few steps forward and grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you talkin' about?" She asked.

"After that guy hit you… I promised myself that no one else was goin' to hurt you." He admitted. She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Then I went and hurt ya'."

She bit her bottom lip finally realizing why exactly he had been acting that way. He had taken it upon himself to keep her safe from any kind of harm, whether it be physical or emotional. He was going to keep her safe. That was why he was acting that way. She finally understood that, while his actions hadn't been the correct approach, he meant well. He must care for her more than she knew.

"Why would you go and do a silly thing like that?" She asked quietly, breaking the tense silence. He chuckled slightly before letting the hand locked in his hair collapse at his side. He took two long strides until he was dangerously close to her. She felt her breath silently hitch, and her heart speed quicken. He slowly and carefully reached his hand up. His thumb gently rubbed over her bruise. Until last time, she kept her eyes open watching him. His muddy colored eyes over her face, memorizing every inch. He suddenly became sad again meeting her gaze.

"I didn't make it in time." He replied. She grabbed his wrist roughly causing him to jump.

"Jack! You can't blame yourself for that." She told him.

"If I had stayed with you-" He began but she put her index finger to his lips dropping his wrist. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt the slightly chapped lips under her finger, but she tried not to let it show.

"Do you forget that _I_ left _you_?" She asked incredulously. "Nothing that happened is your fault."

He looked down at her, smiling slightly when he realized that her finger was still pressed to his lips. He gently took her wrist, pulling her finger away from his mouth. She blushed realizing that she probably should have moved her hand sooner. He then became serious again.

"I really am sorry Mattie." He told her. She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. He would continuously blame himself for her getting hurt, just like she would always blame herself for him getting put in the refuge. She just hoped that everything could go back to normal now that everything was on the table. Well, everything but the fact she was hopelessly in love with him.

"How's Crutchy?" She asked, the question burning her stomach. He looked around the room before meeting her eyes again. She began to get worried.

"He…. He wouldn't come with us." He admitted. "Oscar and Morris, they did a number on him. He didn't want to be carried."

"He's such a strong kid." She said trying to keep her voice steady, she failed. He knew she was worried about him, but he was safer in the refuge than out with them.

"He learns from someone I know." He said with a smirk. She looked up at him and smiled. He felt his stomach flip at her smile.

_What was that? _He asked himself. Sure, she was breathtaking, but that smile did something to him. He had never reacted that way. It confused him. So he did what he knew best. He changed the subject.

"So, where did you go?" He asked. She felt her stomach drop. She had hoped that they wouldn't have to talk about her little outing, but it seemed she wouldn't be getting her wish.

"I went to… uh… Brooklyn." She said, looking down at her feet. He didn't speak just let out a shallow breath.

"I was afraid of that." He said simply. She looked back up at him, noticing he wasn't looking at her anymore. She sighed running a hand through her hair.

"I talked to Spot. About the strike." She said. He bit his bottom lip, not knowing what to say. He told himself he wasn't going to be angry with her. He was worried though, like always. He figured he would never get over worrying about her.

"What did he say?" He asked. She shook her head not wanting to tell him the answer. He saw this and gripped her arm in encouragement. She looked down at his hand feeling the electricity he left from touching her skin.

"He said he didn't…. he didn't think we were up to it." She replied. She didn't want to ruin Spot's reputation by being caring. She decided to stick with the same response that Spot had given them earlier. That way Spot Conlon would still be the heartless, violent king of Brooklyn. Not the newsie who actually genuinely cared about the boys he ruled over.

"I figured. Why did you head over there anyway?" He asked purely curious.

"I thought I might be able to change his mind." She shrugged.

"Spot's hard to convince." He said.

"Tell me about it." She replied with a scoff. He chuckled. The two fell into silence, looking around her room. A small yawn left Mattie's mouth, signaling to Jack he should probably let her get some sleep.

"Well, I guess I'll head to bed." He said turning toward the door. She nodded slightly feeling oddly tired. She didn't want him to leave, but she didn't have to courage to ask him to stay. He walked to the door but paused turning back around.

"Hey Mattie?" He said.

"Yes Jack?" She asked slightly amused. He took a deep breath knowing what he wanted to ask her. He wanted to ask her what she meant when she said she wouldn't wait for him anymore. He had a good idea of what it meant, but he wanted to be sure. However, as he looked at her he found the words dissolving in his mouth. He swallowed hard before speaking again.

"Uh… never mind." He replied. "Good night."

"Night Jack." She told him as he left the room. She stood there frozen for a few seconds. She changed her clothing and climbed into her bed. She lay there thinking about their conversation. She felt better about their situation, but she was still on edge. Maybe moving on from Jack was a good idea.

* * *

The next morning seemed to come quicker than Mattie wanted. She found herself sluggishly getting ready. It was like she was in a daze, not knowing how to react. She wrote it off as getting to bed later, but she knew deep down the reason why. She had spent another hour after Jack had left that night, just thinking about everything that had happened. She had tossed and turned all night willing herself to stop thinking about her current situation. She tried to think about the negatives of her love sick relationship with Jack, but they were overshadowed by positives. Jack made her happy, and even if they were never a couple, she wanted him in her life. She would always love him, but maybe she could train herself to think differently. Just maybe she could change the way she felt. It would be hard, but she had to try.

She dressed slowly, trying to take as much time as possible. She didn't need time to think this morning. She had done way to much of it the previous night. She needed sleep, but there was no way she was going to be able to sleep now. She went to the washroom as quietly as possible, incase the boys woke up. She stood in front of a mirror taking in her appearance. She had never really cared about her looks before, because she never had to. She smiled slightly when she thought back to when Jack called her beautiful. Had it only been a day ago that he had said that and made her heart flutter. Had it only been a day ago that she had been hit? Had it only been a day ago when everything was normal?

Normal wasn't exactly the right word. Mattie had never known normal. Her whole life had been a topsy-turvy, string of days that she didn't know how to handle. She had never been normal herself. According to the ways of the women in the world, she was living a scandalous world. Her only friends were teenage boys whose hormones were running rampant. She lived with her childhood friend who she had strong feelings for. And for her age, she should have been married or at least being courted. She didn't wear the proper clothing for a young woman should. This life was not normal, but it was her life. She had it better than some. Sure she didn't have much, but she had a roof over her head, food in her belly, and the greatest friends she could ever hope for. She needed to stop feeling sorry for herself, and be grateful for what she had.

She ran a hand through her knotted hair and sighed. She grabbed a hairbrush and pulled through the strands of hair. It fell in small waves, looking like a sea of chocolate rolling down her shoulders. Once she was tangle free, she looked at her face. She grimaced at the dark circles under her eyes. There wasn't much she could do. She didn't own any of the fancy cosmetic products that some of the rich women did. She splashed some water on her face trying to wash away any impurities. Of course the dark circles and bruise were still evident on her face. She sighed wishing she they could just magically disappear. She sighed to herself knowing that her wish would never come true.

She stayed in the washroom trying to do her best to work on her appearance for about an hour. The boys loudly shuffled into the washroom, grunting sleepy greetings to her. She smirked to herself at their tired faces. She was out much longer than they were and she was much more awake than any of them. Racetrack looked like he was going to fall over. Mattie shook her head as she headed over to the boys.

"Morning boys." She said. Mush sent her a sleepy grin and Racetrack just gave her a thumbs up. She laughed to herself.

"What bums. Aren't they Mattie?" Blink said slipping his arm around her shoulder. She opened her mouth but was cut off by another voice.

"Sure are." Jack said coming into the room, eyeing Blinks arm. Blink stood his ground but soon faltered under Jack's intense gaze. Blink's arm fell and Jack felt triumphant. Mattie ignored the encounter trying not to think too much into it. Thinking too much had gotten her where she was. She was about to leave but Jack caught her arm.

"Aren't you going to help me shave?" He asked. She was about to nod obediently, but she stopped herself. She wanted to, it was another tradition. However, she knew what would come out of it. She would get all giddy and he would leave thinking nothing of it. She was serious about trying to move on. She needed to, for her own sanity.

"You're a big boy Jack. You can do it yourself." She told him. Racetrack finally woke up letting a loud laugh out, causing the other boys to snicker. She shrugged leaving the room, leaving a confused and dazed Jack. It was time Mattie started calling the shots. She was no longer going to be some love-sick puppy. She was better than that.


	10. Never Fear Brooklyn is Here

**Thanks for the continued support. It means a lot! Sorry I haven't updated until now, school is kicking me in the butt!**

**I do not own Newsies nor will I ever**

**Chapter 10**

Once everyone was dressed, ready, and freshly shaven the newsies headed out. They had a strike to win, and they weren't going to let Crutchy not being there stop them. Mattie had hugged Kloppman before she left. She didn't know if she could be arrested today, so she wanted to make sure she gave him a proper goodbye. He had been confused but squeezed her anyway. Jack had tried his hardest to get Mattie's attention, but she seemed to be brushing him off. He thought that they were okay. She had accepted his apology, and yet she still seemed… Well Jack didn't know. She wasn't angry with him, she just seemed indifferent to him. That his presence didn't affect her like it used to.

On Mattie's side, she had been trying her hardest to try not to fall into Jack's arms and just let everything be normal. She was at the point that they could never be normal again. Her heart couldn't handle it. Yes she wanted Jack in her life, but she had to try and put her feeling for him at bay. That meant minimal contact. No long hugs, no gazing into each other's eyes, and definitely long talks in her bedroom. She caught up with Mush and walked to _The World_ with him. The less time she spent with Jack the better.

Jack was following close behind pouting. He never understood women. One minute they were fine and the next they wanted nothing to do with their friends. _Friends. _He watched her closely, seeing that she was in fact carrying on different conversations with the others. Mattie wasn't avoiding all of the guys, Mattie was avoiding Jack. He felt his heart sink. He replayed everything he had said, wincing at some of the rude things he had said to her, the way she looked after he said it. But he had apologized! They had talked things out, and she said she was fine. He huffed to himself.

"Hiya Jack." A voice said. Jack look to his left to see Skittery coming up behind him. Jack sent the twitchy boy a smile.

"Hey Skits. How're you doing?" Jack asked patting him on the back. Skittery shrugged.

"I'm alright. Just got this girl on my mind." Skittery replied without shame. Jack recalled Skittery talking about a 'real swell' girl he had met in Queens. Ever since meeting her that's all Skittery seemed to think about. He even was in a good mood, well a good mood for Skittery. Jack chuckled to himself.

"That's what them girls do. They cloud our vision." Jack said to Skittery.

"I guess so, she's all I can think about." Skittery said rubbing the back of his neck. Jack admired him for letting all of his feeling out on the table, especially to someone like Jack. Jack had never been in love, and he never planned on it. The only girl he had ever gotten close to was his mother and Mattie. One of them was dead, and the other was ignoring him. He just about gave up on the whole idea of falling in love. His eyes flickered over to he once more. She had a large smile on her face as she talking with the boys. She let out a musical laugh that made Jacks heart skip a beat. He fought the urge to clutch at his heart, confused at why it was speeding up. He swallowed hard as he watched her walk. He couldn't understand how Mattie could look that attractive in boys clothing that were too big for her. He blinked.

_Had he just called Mattie attractive? _

Yeah he knew she was pretty, he already established that. But now that he was watching her, the sway of her hips, the way her hair scattered down her back, and the bulge of her curves, he felt his face get hot. He thought back to when he had seen her in her night gown. He had looked away as a polite gesture, but he did see more than he probably shouldn't have. Now as he stared at her, the image crept back into his mind. Mattie was beautiful, very attractive, and was driving Jack to insanity.

"Looks to me I'm not the only one with a clouded mind." Skittery said knocking Jack out of his thoughts. Jack roughly tore his eyes from Mattie to look at Skittery.

"What?" Jack asked simply. Skittery shrugged.

"Well, the way you were just watching, more like staring, at Dimples, seems to me that you must be thinking about her." Skittery said. Jack opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again. He couldn't weasel his way out of this one. Skittery smiled to himself before jogging to catch up with Pie Eater. Jack was left alone in his confused, twisted thoughts.

* * *

When the newsies had made it to _The World_ they gathered together ready to fight off the scabs. Mattie didn't particularly agree with the boys idea of soaking the scabbers, but she didn't see another way out. This was war and war most of the time had a fight. Mattie was laughing at a joke Racetrack had said when David caught up with them. He came up to Mattie, a large smile on his face.

"Hey David." She said with a grin.

"Morning Mattie. Are you okay?" He asked, referring to the previous night. She blushed slightly looking down.

"Yeah, Jack and I worked things out." She replied with a nod. David felt his heart drop a bit.

"Oh… that's…. that's great." He said feeling his heart drop. He didn't want them fighting, but he secretly wanted her to come to him for comfort. He knew that was selfish of him, because he knew how important they were to each other. David just wanted to be that one person that Mattie could go to. As the days passed he felt himself feel stronger and stronger about Mattie. He didn't think he was in love with her, mostly because he never knew what that felt like. However, he knew that he had feelings for her, and from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one.

Jack had just made it and saw Mattie with David. He glared at the fact that David was slowly but surely inching closer to Mattie, trying to get as close to her as possible but without being weird about it. Jack set his jaw before taking a deep breath. He put his tough, fun-loving swagger back on and made his way to the two. When he made it he stood next to Mattie, closer than he usually would. This didn't go unnoticed. He was so close to her that Mattie could feel the heat radiating off of his body. She fought back the shiver that threatened to go up her spine.

"Morning Jack." David said, noticing the closeness of Jack and Mattie.

"Hiya Dave. You ready?" Jack asked putting his arm around Mattie. David tensed at the contact, wishing it was him who had his arm around her. Mattie tensed as well, not knowing what caused Jack's sudden change in mood. She wasn't exactly complaining, but he wasn't making things any easier on her. Jack felt her tense, but he didn't remove his arm. She relaxed slightly looking over to him.

"As I'll ever be." David replied masking his irritation. Jack smirked at the boy, sensing the competitive feeling in the air. Jack didn't know what had come over him. The thought of David anywhere close enough to Mattie to be classified as more than friendly made Jack angry.

"Good." Jack replied. David nodded and looked away trying to find any way out of this situation. Mattie looked up at Jack seeing his set jaw and the glint of an emotion she didn't recognize in his eyes. She didn't understand what he was doing, but it seemed to her that Jack was marking his territory. David walked away, saying he was going to find Les. Once he was gone Mattie brushed Jack's arm off of her shoulders, and turned to face him. Neither of them spoke. Mattie didn't look at him, and Jack found himself staring at her again. She seemed uncomfortable, and like David was looking for a way out.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked breaking the silence. She looked up at him.

"Yeah Jack I'm fine." She replied probably too quickly.

"No you're not." He said. "Listen, if I did something-"

"Stop blaming yourself. I'm fine. I promise." She said. She hated that he was blaming himself. She hated that she couldn't just tell him what was bothering her.

"Don't lie to me." Jack demanded. "I thought we were okay."

"We are." She told him. He scoffed looking away from her. "Listen, we are fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine!"

His eyes scanned her face. She seemed okay. Maybe he was over reacting. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on. He didn't want to pry, but she was driving him crazy.

"Okay… you know you can talk to me about anything right?" He asked. Mattie felt herself smiling. He smiled at her too. He was finally getting somewhere.

"Of course Jack. You're my best friend." She admitted to him. The word _friend_ tasted bitter coming out of her mouth. However, she couldn't say they were anything more or she would be lying to herself.

"Yeah… friends." He replied. Her eyes darted to his and found herself fighting to look away. He didn't want her to look away. A wave of emotions hit both the young newsies like a large boulder. Mattie was used to these emotions, but to Jack it was completely new. He had never felt like this before. All of these emotions blended together into something he could never describe. He was confused not knowing what was happening and tried to calm his heart down. Mattie did the same, and she found she was the one to break the connection between the two.

"Alright you two!" Blink yelled at the two. However, Jack just continued to stare at Mattie. He didn't want this to stop, for he feared he would never feel it again. "It's time to kick some scabber ass!"

Mattie nodded to the boy with the eye patch and followed him to the newsies who were lining themselves up in front of the closed gate. Jack sighed before lining himself up too. His thoughts went to Crutchy and how angry it made him that he wasn't with them right now. He had to think of the strike, the boys. He couldn't think about why Mattie made him feel this way, or why he felt that way.

!

Everyone was lined up, waiting with determination. They were ready to fight, to win. Mattie was wedged between Mush and David and she glared at the distribution center. All thoughts of Jack and her confusion put aside, she thought about Crutchy. She was angry about the fact that he wasn't here. If any of them deserved to be there it would be her crippled friend. She was worried about him. She was worried about all of them.

"_Open the gates and seize the day_

_Don't be afraid and don't delay_

_Nothing can break us_

_No one can make us_

_Give our rights away_

_Arise and seize the day" _

They formed a large group of lines, arms linked, and determination written all over their faces. This was there time, to fight for the rights of all child workers. They gathered in front of the locked gates glares all over their faces. Jack looked to his right catching Mattie in his sight. She looked over at him and nodded. She was going to fight, alongside him. They were a forced to be reckoned with. It was completely silent, the only sound was everyone's heartbeats in their ears. Jack again looked to Mattie who stood there firmly. He looked down at her hand, falling limp at her side. He didn't know what possessed him but he grabbed her hand in his. She looked up at him but he had turned away. She found herself smiling even though she should have fought it. She was enjoying this sudden change in Jack, whether it was good for her or not.

Suddenly the newspaper wagon came barreling through the newsies, making them separate their lines so they wouldn't be crushed. Jack and Mattie were also separated, their hands falling as they stepped out of the way. Once the wagon was in the distribution center Jack found Mattie again, unharmed. He let out a breath of relief, and they came back together. No one spoke again as the newsie's who hadn't joined the strike approached. Their group was much smaller than the strikers, but they looked just as determined. Mattie narrowed her eyes, seeing a cocky smirk on one of the boys faces. For some reason that smirk rubbed her wrong. It was like he knew something that they didn't. She grabbed for Jack to speak to him but he was already face to face with the betrayers.

"Come on, you grafters!" Race shouted. "Cross the line!"

Jack looked around glaring at every single one of the boys. He didn't see how they could just sit by and take whatever was thrown at them, especially when it wasn't fair. None of these boys scared Jack, and he was prepared for a fight.

"Alright, everyone remain calm." David said with false hope in his voice. He could practically feel the tension in the pause of silence. He looked to Mattie who was watching Jack like a hawk, waiting for his command.

"Let's soak 'em for Crutchy!" Jack sounded. That was when all hell broke loose. The newsies ran into the distribution center following the scabs. Mattie followed but turned when she saw David wasn't following. She huffed grabbing his arm and pulling him inside with her. He followed, feeling himself blush at the contact. The working newsboys ran to the green door, the others following them. They beat on the door as hard as they could, knowing that if their secret weapon didn't work they would be hurt pretty bad.

"Oh, Jack! Jack it's a trick!" Racetrack yelled. Mattie looked up seeing large men with weapons of all sorts coming out from the green door. She felt her heart sink and her grip on David's arm tighten. David seemed frozen where he stood and Mattie again found herself pulling him along. They ran to the gate, which was being closed and locked. Mattie reached the gate and tried pushing it open to no avail.

"Please! Mister Policeman!" She called but he ignored her. She looked through the bars seeing a man with a camera. He locked eyes with her and looked to the police man.

"Aren't you going to stop them sir?" He asked.

"Move along." The police man ordered.

"There is a girl in there!" The man with the camera shouted. The policeman ushered him off and Mattie felt herself become worried. Even the bulls were working against them. It didn't matter that they were just kids, or that she was a girl. They were going to let these guys hurt them because they could.

"Mattie!" A voice shouted. Mattie spun around recognizing the voice. Her eyes scattered through the chaos looking any where for him.

"Jack!" She called back. She pushed and shoved her way through, narrowly missing swings of clubs, and chains in her path. She panicked when she couldn't find Jack. She did however find David. He was trying his hardest to get away from the men and when he saw Mattie he grabbed her by the waist and tugged her away from the chaos to the side.

"Where's Jack?" She practically screamed.

"Mattie stay here." David ordered. She shoved at him, knowing he wasn't going to help. She moved her way back into the crowd, elbowing her way through. Suddenly though she was grabbed by the arm and pulled into a hard chest. She fought as hard as she could against the arms surrounding her.

"Well, well, lookie here." The voice of the man restraining her. Her blood ran cold as she recognized the scatchy voice. He turned her around in his arms to face him. Her eyes widened as she recognized the battered and bruised face of the man who had hit her the other day. His face had similar bruises to hers, and his nose had a bandage on it probably from getting a broken nose. He smiled evily as he saw the bruise on her cheek.

"Did I do that?" He asked, his thumb moving over the mark. She shivered and fought in his arms. He chuckled. "What a shame."

"Let me go!" She ordered.

"Or what? Your lil' boyfriend will come after me?" He asked. "Looks to me like he's got his hands full."

Mattie followed his gaze to where Jack was trying his hardest not to be hit. A chain whipped out almost hitting Jack in the rib. Mattie let out a strangled yelp as she watched on, but the man turned her attention back to him.

"Maybe I should give you another one, so you can match." He said rearing his fist back to hit her. She closed her eyes and turned her face waiting for the pain, but it never came.

"God dammit!" The man screeched. Mattie looked to see the man holding his broken nose. His grip on her had loosened and she took her chance. She reared her foot back and landed a good,hard kick into the man's groin. He 'oofed' and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Never fear Brooklyn is here." She heard. She turned to look over her shoulder to see a smiling Spot Conlon and several big, bad Brooklyn newsies. A smile broke out on Mattie's face. Spot smirked at her and nodded. She then turned seeing that everyone had been stunned by the appearance of Brooklyn. She took off pushing her way through to Jack, who was also stunned to see Spot Conlon helping him out. Mattie grabbed a hold of Jack's waist and pulled him into a tight hug. Upon seeing who it was her also grabbed her, holding on for dear life.

"Oh thank God!" She said, her words muffled by his chest. He pulled her back slightly looking her over. She didn't seem to be injured, which he was thankful for. She was in one piece, which was all he cared about.

"Are you alright?" She asked him also looking him over.

"I'm fine." Jack said but was cut off by a fist that was headed straight for him. He pushed Mattie safely behind him as he sent a punch into the guys gut. Once the man was down he grabbed for Mattie's hand and pulled her along with him. He wasn't letting her out of his sight until they were safe.

"Hey Spot!" Jack called. The Brooklyn newsie nodded grabbing a hook and swinging right down in front of Jack and Mattie. He spit shook with Jack, making Brooklyn's help in the strike official.

"I knew you couldn't stay away from a fight." Mattie said to Spot. He simply smirked before heading over to the gate to let his newsie's in. Jack turned to her an awed look on his face. Without her, Spot would have never come to help, and who knows what could have happened. He hugged her to his side, punching yet another goon in the face. The Brooklyn newsie's filed in, pushing the men back to where they came.

Loud cheered echoed through the center. Racetrack even came up to Mattie and hugged her twirling her around. She giggled, but soon found herself at Jack's side again. She hugged several of the newsie's but Jack continued to pull her away. He never let her go far, and she didn't exactly mind. Sure she was supposed to be pushing herself away from him, but she could have lost him today. She could have lost them all today, so she figured that she should stick by him at least until all the excitement wears off.

Suddenly the man with the camera, Mattie figured was Denton the man from the Sun came in. He saw the perfect picture for his new headline and set up his camera. Jack pulled Mattie back to his side, and she found herself moving in to kiss his cheek. As she made contact with his face a bright flash went off, signaling to her that Denton had taken his picture. She sighed knowing she was never going to live that down.


	11. This is Love

**Ahhhhhh over 30 reviews? I know that's not a whole lot but man I'm excited! :) Sorry about the long waits but I'm in my senior year in high school and right now my teachers are piling on the work. So far this year has been kicking my butt. So I'm going to keep trying to update ASAP! Shorter chapter, but I felt it was a good place to stop. **

**I do not own Newsies nor will I ever!**

**Chapter 11**

Mattie pulled back as if his cheek had burned her. She had no idea what had come over her. She wrote it off as pure excitement, but she knew that getting over Jack was going to be a long process. Jack looked down at her looking just as surprised as she was. She took a chance before he could say anything before she turned around and hurried away. She made it look like she was simply hugging the boys, but in all honestly she wanted to get away from the embarrassment she had just pulled herself in.

Jack stood there staring after her not knowing what to do. He wanted to follow after her. He wanted to take her into his arms and never let her go. However, he knew that he couldn't do that. She was his best friend and best friends do not take each other in their arms and never let go. He ran a hand through his chocolate locks not knowing what was going on with him.

"I saw that." Spot said, with an all knowing look on his face.. Jack looked to the Brooklyn boy and shoved him lightly. Spot chuckled but said nothing more. He usually wouldn't have let anyone live that down, but he found himself wordlessly smiling. Spot had never been educated in romance, but even him, the roughest, toughest boy of Brooklyn, could see the way both Jack and Mattie acted toward each other. And then, for some reason, he found himself rooting for them.

* * *

The boys cheered the whole way back to the lodging house, jumping and yelling at the top of their lungs. The people on the streets glared or gave them disgusted scowls, but none of them minded. They were on cloud nine. Somehow Les had ended up on Mattie's back and she carried him piggy back to the lodging house. David watched her carry the young boy on her back and smiled. She was good with kids, or so it would seem. David's mind suddenly went back to the night before when Les and him had gotten home.

* * *

_The two boys had gotten home later than usual. Their parents weren't happy but once David explained they backed off a tad. David had gotten ready for bed in a daze. He had never felt this way about someone, and he couldn't comprehend the emotions he was feeling. All he thought about was the strike and Mattie. No other foolish thoughts crossed his mind like they used to. He was growing up, he supposed. He kind of wished he would stop. All of these feelings and thoughts were clouding his judgment. _

_He should have been thinking solely about the strike and how he could help the newsies win, however, when he would think of any idea her eyes would flash in his mind, or her musical laugh would drum through his ears. He had only known the newsies for a few days, and he couldn't understand why he would have such strong feelings about all of them. He felt a bond with all of the boys, and especially with Mattie. _

_She wasn't like any girl he had ever met before. She didn't rely on people to survive, she relied on herself. She wasn't prissy, if anything she was tougher than most of the boys he had met; much stronger than David ever would be. She wasn't focused on herself; she focused on the well-being of others. And man was she beautiful. She must not have known just how beautiful she was, because she never showed that she had much confidence in herself. _

_However, David knew that he wasn't the only one pining for Mattie's attention. As much as Jack would deny it, he cared for Mattie more than a friend. David wasn't blind, he knew that Jack felt the same way David felt about her, maybe more. David's only advantage was that he wasn't trying to hide his feelings like Jack was. He wasn't screaming it out, but he wasn't trying to keep it concealed either. If anything David should have a better chance at receiving Mattie's affections than Jack would. However, he couldn't shake that feeling that Mattie might not feel the same way. David had seen Mattie look at Jack in a very caring and loving way, however, she was a hard book to read. He didn't know if the look was platonic or if she was falling for Jack as quickly as David was falling for her. _

"_Hey David?" A small voice said, causing David to be thrown from his thoughts. The older Jacob boy turned to see his little brother standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his pajamas and was stifling a yawn. David smiled at the boy._

"_Shouldn't you be in bed?" David asked. Les simply shrugged before sitting on David's bed. David turned full around, leaning on the wall and staring at Les intently. The small boy hesitated before speaking._

"_I have a question." Les finally said. David nodded encouraging him to go on. "I was just thinking..."_

_Les stopped looking down at the floor as if he didn't know where to go from there. David chuckled before sitting on the bed next to his brother. It seemed as though something monumental was bothering the kid, but David knew Les had a habit of over dramatizing things. Les finally looked up and searched his brother's face. He saw no judgment or annoyance on David's face, so he finally continued._

"_Mattie's real pretty." Les practically whispered. David was taken aback by this. Maybe David and Jack weren't the only one who had feelings for the female newsie._

"_That's not a question." David told Les. The smaller boy looked up a small glare on his face. David chuckled slightly _

"_She's also real nice." Les continued. David looked away from the boy. She was nice, probably too nice for her own good. For David's own good._

"_She is." David agreed._

"_And she's tough." Les replied. David smiled at that. Mattie was probably one of the strongest people he had ever met. He had only heard bits and pieces of her past, but he knew she had been through a lot. A lot more than a majority of people even dreamed about._

"_What are you getting at Les?" David asked. Les shrugged again, trying to keep the mood light. He didn't know what possessed him to bring Mattie up, but this had been bothering him for a while._

"_Do you like her?" Les asked. David froze. He didn't know where his kid brother had gotten such information, but he didn't appreciate it. Les didn't even like girls yet, or at least he shouldn't. How would he know if David liked a girl or not? _

"_Uh…. " David trailed off. He didn't know how to respond to this. Les had always been a big mouth. What if the kid wen to Mattie and told her everything? He would be in deep shit._

"_I think you like her." Les said. "I think Jack does too."_

"_How do you know?" David found himself asking. He wanted to know how Les had found any information out. Maybe he could learn something from his little brother._

"_Just a feeling." Les shrugged. David opened and then closed his mouth. The Jacob brothers sat there silently for about three minutes before Les stood up. David watched the boy closely and before Les was out the door her turned. "If it helps, I hope she picks you."_

"_Why is that?" David asked curiously. Les laughed slightly._

"_Because you're my brother. I have to be on your side." Les replied like it was the most simple thing in the world. David chuckled._

"_Thanks buddy." David said. Les nodded, and with a nod he left the room leaving David to his thoughts._

* * *

David smiled slightly at the thought. At least Les was on David's side for something, instead of hanging on Jack's every word. He didn't know if Mattie felt the same way about him, and he was fine as of now not knowing. He would have to wait and see how things unfold. They finally made it to the lodging house and when they approached the building, Mattie let Les slide down from her back. She bent backward to crack her now sore back.

"I think you threw out my back." Mattie grumbled playfully. Les smiled, catching her joking tone.

"Maybe you're just old!" Les replied. She gasped mocking hurt. She then grabbed for the boy, catching him by the chest.

"Oh, you're gonna' get it!" She said as she began tickling him. The boy burst into laughter and tried to fight his way out of her grasp to no avail. Mattie laughed with him. Les was a good way to keep her mind off of her embarrassing actions earlier. The whole way Les was yelling into her ear how excited he was. She didn't once think about _you know who_ while she was listening to Les' comments.

She missed when things were innocent, easy. Now the world seemed to hate her and everything she strived for. Growing up was hard. Love was hard. Life in general was hard, and she didn't know what she could do to make it any easier. She guessed that there wasn't much to do, but just go on living as she normally would. Secretly loving her best friend, trying to get over her feelings time and time again, and eventually grow up. She envied Les and his innocence. She envied his untouched heart. She envied his happiness. Not that she wasn't happy, it just seemed like she continued to lose hope every day. Her emotions and the stress of the everyday were taking their toll on her.

"Stop! Please!" Les begged, but Mattie continued until the child was limp in her arms as she continued her attack. She heard the other boys laughing at the encounter behind her. Les was cute and hearing his laughter was bringing up the spirits of the guys even higher.

"Jack! Jack help me!" Les said in between giggles when he saw the Manhattan leader approaching. He had just been joking around with Boots when he heard the call. He looked up, a large grin on his face. He saw Mattie viciously tickling Les, both laughing loudly. His eyes searched Mattie's amused face and he felt his heart skip a beat. She had a beautiful smile. He loved when she was happy. That's all he ever wanted, was for her to be happy.

"I'll be right back." Jack mumbled to Boots. He took long strides reaching the two in barely four steps. Once he was close enough he reached for Mattie. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up. Mattie was surprised and released Les upon realizing her feet were off the ground. Les took several deep breaths trying to catch his breath. Mattie squealed loudly catching everyone's attention.

"Jack! Put me down!" She demanded. He chuckled deeply and set her on her feet, but didn't release his grip around her waist. He pulled her flush against his chest and held on tight.

"Run Les!" Jack called to the boy. The already breathless kid did as he was told and ran away from the struggling Mattie. Laughter could be heard as they saw Mattie doing her best to get away. However, no one knew exactly what Mattie was feeling then.

The only thing going through her mind was the man who had hurt her. The one from the fighting ring, and the one who had attacked her today. All she could think of was when he had grabbed her, not once, but twice. He had hurt her, and frightened her. He had damaged her in more ways that physical. She hadn't realized it, no one had, but she had been traumatized by this experience. And now, even though she knew it was Jack, her best friend, someone who would never harm her, her mind switched back to the vulnerable, terrified girl from a few days ago.

"Stop!" She shouted. Everyone became quiet, as Jack did was her was told. He released her staring down at her trembling figure in confusion. She tried her best to slow down her heart beat but she could feel all the eyes on her. She looked up and saw worried and confused looks being shot her way. She swallowed hard, trying not to cry. She hated looking weak, especially in front of the boys. She was about to break down when a hand slipped onto her shoulder.

"Alright, shows over!" Racetrack said to the boys. She looked at the boy gratefully, in which he smiled back. The boys nodded and began slowly heading inside, but not before giving her worried or sympathetic smiles.

"Thanks Race." Mattie said, her voice recovering. He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, before nodding.

"I've got ya' back Dimples." Race admitted before heading inside. Once he was inside she took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. She couldn't believe she had lost control like that. She also couldn't believe that this scum bag was still hurting her and he wasn't even around. She shook her head putting her arms around herself. However, she knew that she wasn't alone. She could feel his eyes on her, boring into her back as she stood there. She turned slowly, meeting his eyes. His muddy brown orbs were full of different emotions. Fear, confusion, worry, regret, and something she couldn't quite place. She knew he felt bad, and she knew she had to explain, she just didn't know how.

"I'm sorry." She began. "I just…."

She trailed off, and stood there awkwardly. Now as she looked at him, all she wanted was to be in those arms. However, this time she would know exactly who it was and it would be because of her consent that he was holding her. She wanted comfort.

"You don't have to-" He said but she cut him off by stepping closer.

"No… no I… I don't know what happened." She said looking into his eyes. "When you grabbed me… All I could think of was that… that goon that attacked me."

Jack felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He had never thought that his little joke would have that effect on her. Then anger had come over him. That creep was still affecting her, and he shouldn't have been. He shouldn't have been anywhere near her, even in her mind. He took a step forward, but stepped back again. He didn't want to push her, or make her feel uncomfortable. That was the last thing he wanted. Seeing his hesitation, Mattie took another step forward so she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. Both felt their hearts pick up speed at the closeness of their bodies.

"He really messed me up didn't he?" Mattie asked so quietly, only Jack could hear. He swallowed not knowing how to respond with words. So he slowly and gently pulled her towards him. Like before he pulled her into his chest, but he made sure not to frighten her this time. Mattie buried her face into his shirt taking a deep breath. Her arms snaked around his torso, and his did the same around her shoulders. Jack had no idea how much just being near her had helped calm her down, even if he had caused her panic attack before.

The two stood there, holding one another for the longest time. It was as if time stood still as they stayed there, frozen in their spots. Neither one ever wanted to let go, but Mattie took the initiative to pull back. There was one piece of information that she had failed to share with him. She hadn't planned on telling him at all, but she knew that she should let him know sooner than later. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"He was there today." She said quietly. Jack's eyebrows kitted together.

"Who?" He asked. Mattie sighed looking down at her feet. She knew that he wouldn't like what she was about to say. However, he kind of already had an idea.

"The guy… he was there… at the distribution center." She told him. His grip tightened around her. She had been fine before today, never having acted like she just had. Now he knew why. Mattie had never thought she would see that guy again, and now he showed up. He was there with plans to hurt her friends, but found her instead. Jack's eyes fluttered to the bruise on her face. It had begun to heal, turning yellow around the edges, but it was still purple and tender in the middle.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, trying his best to be calm. She shook her head. He hadn't had the chance to. The Brooklyn newsies had saved her. However, she knew that if Brooklyn had never shown up all of them would have been hurt.

"Brooklyn came just in time." She said with a weak laugh. She wanted to lighten the mood. She hadn't had a normal, fun conversation with Jack in so long. She missed their fun, go lucky talks they used to have. Everything was different now. She had changed, and he had changed.

"I'll kill him." Jack threatened, the seriousness in his voice scared Mattie. She wanted nothing to do with that creep anymore. If Jack went and beat on him again that would only make things worse. So, when Jack began to release his grip on her, she found herself gripping onto him.

"Please don't…" She begged. "Don't leave me."

Mattie needed him, not as a romantic interest, but her best friend. She needed him because he was the only one who understood her. She needed his support and his care so she could feel better. She just wanted to feel better. Jack looked down at her and sighed. As he looked over her face he felt his anger be pushed to the back of his mind. Beating the living tar out of that moron was going to have to wait. Jack had to be there for her, because she had always been there for him. She had always pulled him back up, and now he had to do that for her. He had to make her whole again, to make her feel safe. She deserved that, she deserved to feel protected. Not overly protected, but just enough that she knew that nothing, _nothing_, would ever happen to her again.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jack said pulling her back into a hug. Whenever she needed him, he would be there. As he held her a strange feeling erupted in his stomach. Holding her felt right, natural. It felt as though she was made to fit right into his arms, as if they were molded for one another. He kissed the top of her head, sending a shiver down her spine. He chuckled slightly at her reaction, but continued to hold her. This was perfection, this was right, this was love.


	12. Growing Feelings

**I'm working so hard on this! I'm even waiting to pee until I finish this…. Don't you judge me. Kinda short, but I thought it was a good place to stop. How did you like the dream? Reviews are good!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or anything associated**

**Chapter 12**

No one spoke about Mattie's panic attack when Jack and Mattie entered the bunk room. Jack's eyes were glued to her as she walked into the room. He knew no danger would come to her with these boys, but he wasn't taking any chances. Mattie had jumped in on a poker game that was going on, seeming to be back to her old self. Jack had calmed her down significantly. He took a seat on the floor right across from her. He got on in the game as well. Since no one had much money left, they bet cigarettes, chewing gum, other small knick knacks. Racetrack even put in one of his precious cigars.

After about an hour, and several glares from Race, Mattie had won. She victoriously pulled her winnings toward her, the other boys grumbling. Jack looked on at Mattie with such adoration, his smile was hurting his face. She was much better than she was earlier. She was happy, and no longer afraid. Or at least he hoped so.

"You don't even smoke!" Racetrack complained as Mattie picked up the small brown cigar and twiddled it in her fingers. She watched it go back and forth over her knuckles and grinned wildly at her friend. He was slumped, arms over his chest, and a grimace pasted on his face.

"I could start. I could start right now with this cigar." She taunted him, wiggling her eyebrows. The Italian huffed, making the other boys laugh.

The rest of the night went on with the boys telling stories, or making jokes. Mattie laughed the loudest, sounding like music when it left her mouth. She had taken a seat a seat on a bottom bunk, Jack taking a seat next to her. Her eyelids began to get heavy, making them droop. She opened her eyes wide, trying her best to stay awake. Like he eyelids her head began to fall as well. It suddenly made contact with a firm object. She came to find it was Jack's shoulder.

He tensed as her head leant on his shoulder, but soon he relaxed. Mattie did as well and as her breathing slowed down and her eyes closed he realized that she was finally asleep. Jack stayed still, fearing to breathe because he might wake her. Upon realizing that the boys were not going to be quiet, Jack took it upon himself to take Mattie to her room. As quickly and quietly as possible he shifted her so he could pick her up. He put one arm around her back and hooked his other arm under her legs. He stood carefully, pulling her against in chest.

Then wordlessly he carried her around the boys, out of the bunk room and to her room. He lightly kicked open her door and walked into the dimly lit room. The moon shining through the window was Jack's only way to see his way around the room. He carried her to her bed, setting her down gently. She fell limp onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow. She moaned sleepily and turned on her side. Jack smiled and pulled the quilt over her. Using his index finger, Jack brushed a lock of hair from her face. She looked even prettier when she was asleep, if that was possible. He sighed to himself before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. A small sleepy smile appeared on her face. He chuckled to himself as he turned to walk out the door.

"Goodnight Jack." Mattie mumbled sleepily. Jack felt his breath hitch at her voice. He turned back around to see her with one chocolate brown eye staring at him, and the same tired smile gracing her face. Jack found him smiling as well, and had to practically force himself to breathe again.

"Night." Jack replied before turning and going back toward the door.

He continued until he was safely out of her room, and she was behind the door. He leaned on the wood of the door and let out a long breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. He didn't understand what was going on with him. Things with Mattie weren't the same. Their situation had never been normal, but they hadn't been their kind of normal for a while.

Jack sighed to himself before heading back into the bunk room. No one said anything or questioned his absence. He was internally grateful. He didn't think he could take the boys judging gazes and inappropriate assumptions. All he wanted to do was sleep, or at least attempt to sleep. He would be lucky to get any sleep with all the thoughts buzzing around his head, all the emotions in his heart.

* * *

_The streets of Manhattan were empty, except the one lone soul who stood in the middle of the road. Mattie was the only one out, and she found it odd that no one was around. It was dark; she guessed that it was pretty late. She didn't know how she got there or why she was there. It was quiet, silent even. She looked around. Not a person in sight. She narrowed her eyes before shrugging. She was about to head to the lodging house when she heard a familiar chuckle._

_She turned to see a smirking Jack leaning on a brick wall. He watched he with extreme amusement. He pushed himself off the wall and made his way over to the confused girl. Mattie stands there frozen in place. There was something different about the way Jack was staring at her. He wasn't looking on as a friend, there was so many more emotions written on his face. Emotions that Mattie had never seen Jack wear._

"_What's so funny?" She finally finding her voice. His next move shocked her to no end. He took his hand and ran it through her brown locks. Her heart rate spiked and her face began to heat up. His fingers locked in her hair, holding her face there. His eyes stared deep into hers and she found herself not being able to move. Even if she wanted to get away from him, which she obviously didn't, she wouldn't be able to. _

"_You're adorable when you're nervous." He chuckled. She swallowed at the feeling of his hot breath on her face. _

"_I'm n-not… ner-nervous." She stuttered. She hated that he stuttered, and that he had this effect on her. By the look on his face, he knew he had an effect on her._

"_Yes you are." Jack said. "Do I make you nervous Mattie?"_

_She swallowed again, not finding the right words. Of course he made her nervous. He made her feel alive. He made her feel safe and loved. He was the only one who could do that. He was the only one who made her feel completely whole._

"_I think I do." Jack whispered in her ear. She shivered and he chuckled again. He looked down at her and trapped her gaze again. _

"_Jack… what's gotten…. Into you?" She asked trying to breathe. He simply smiled and wound his arm around her waist. He pulled her into his chest. Mattie's eyes went wide as she looked up at the boy she had fallen helplessly in love with and couldn't stop her shocked gasp. She didn't understand what he was doing, or why he was doing it. To say she was confused would be an understatement._

"_I could show you better than I could tell you." He said. Then he started leaning forward. If a heart could literally beat out of someone's chest, Mattie's would now be lying on the ground. As she watched him come forward she closed her eyes and tried to breathe evenly. He was going to kiss her. He was about to fulfill one of her life long dreams. He was about to show her how much they cared for one another. Mattie was ready. She wanted so badly to feel his lips on hers. She wanted him to love her as much as she loved him. She didn't know what caused the sudden change in Jack, but she couldn't complain. _

_Jack Kelly, was about to kiss Mattie Conrad._

_Suddenly, the scene changed. A loud train whistle sounded, causing Mattie's eyes to burst open. She looked around at her surroundings. She was no longer in the strong arms of Jack; she was alone standing at the train yards. To her right a large train sat, people filing on. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. How had she gotten here? Where was Jack? Why the hell was she at a train yard?_

_Then her answer was given. As she looked at the groups of people getting on the train, she recognized one. His head was covered with the cowboy hat given to him by his mother. He wore his typical attire, from his boots to the red bandana around his neck. In his hand was a small old suitcase that must have held his few belongings. The sudden realization hit Mattie when she saw him take one step up onto the train. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped. _

_She felt her feet begin moving faster than he brain could comprehend anything. She pushed through people, tripping over luggage and small children, barely catching herself. As she ran, she felt that he was getting further and further away from her. The train seemed to grow in length with each step she took, making it impossible for her to catch him. _

_He was leaving her and she hadn't gotten the chance to tell him she loved him. She hadn't gotten to kiss him. She hadn't gotten to tell him how much he had saved her. She could feel the tears falling from her cheeks and could hear the people complaining about her pushing them so roughly. She had to get to him. She had to stop him. However, the universe had another idea. The final whistle blew signaling the train's eminent departure. Jack was now on the train sitting in his seat, not having a care in the world. _

"_Jack!" Mattie shrieked. Jacks head snapped out the window seeing Mattie run toward him. He smiled widly and jutted his hand out of the window. He began waving it and Mattie pushed herself harder. He was leaving her, forever. He wasn't even batting an eyelash. She guessed that it was partly her fault. She had never spoke to him about her feelings. She couldn't blame him. But she had to try and stop him. _

_As the train began to move, Jack stuck his head back into the train for a second. His face appeared again, but he was no longer alone. Mattie let out a strangled gasp when she saw Sarah Jacobs head sticking out the window next to Jack. By that point she had reached the end of the platform and she forced herself to stop. She watched on in horror and complete and utter sadness as Sarah and Jack waved to her. They were smiling madly at her, but soon their gazes fell on each other. They shared a sweet and tender kiss, making Mattie let out a loud sob. _

_It was over. Jack was gone. Sarah had won. And Mattie was left, alone. _

_Or so she thought. As Mattie watched the retreating train carrying the man of her dreams far away from her, she was surprised when two lean arms wrapped their way around her waist. She jumped slightly, but didn't turn to see who it was. Her eyes were on the train, that was moving fast as it could. It was as if it was running from her. Mocking her with its cargo. Mattie wasn't just sad. She was on the verge of depression. The one person she had opened up to completely, trusted with her life, and given all her heart to was gone. Was there really a reason to go on anymore? If Jack had never come into her life, she would have been dead a long time ago. Now that he was gone, what was the point? _

"_I'll never leave you." The person holding Mattie whispered in her ear. It wasn't the voice she wanted, but that didn't stop her from turning around. Her eyes met the ocean blue gaze of David Jacobs. He stood there, looking down at her lovingly while she looked up at him in terrible sadness. She couldn't help herself when she buried her face in his shoulder and began sobbing. David simply stood there, holding her, comforting her. She was a hollow shell of her old self. She was a ghost, who had lost her heart, and it was being taken all the way to Santa Fe._

* * *

Mattie gasped sitting up in her bed. The sheets around her were tangled around her body, and it took her a good minute and a half to free herself from their bindings. Small tears had escaped her eyes, and she furiously wiped them away. She looked to the window. It was a little later than she usually woke up, but earlier than any of the boys would be awake. That dream had turned from magical to her worst nightmare in a matter of seconds. She hadn't been too against Jack going to Santa Fe before, but now that she thought about it, could she really let him go that easily?

She stood slowly, taking her time gathering her clothes. She stepped out of her bedroom as quietly as possible. She would usually head for the washroom, but her legs had other ideas. She found herself walking into the bunk room. She had to be sure that it was just a dream and Jack was still there.

The boys were all snoring soundly, and didn't wake to her walking in. Her eyes scanned the room and when she found his bunk her eyes widened. It was empty, and neatly made. She looked around the whole room, willing him to show up somewhere. That had to be a dream. Jack would never leave and not say goodbye to her. But where could he be? She checked the fire escape. No Jack there. She checked the lobby, Kloppman's office, and even outside. She couldn't find him anywhere. Suddenly the image of Jack and Sarah kissing popped into her mind. What if he was with Sarah? She shuddered at the thought.

Sarah was pretty, polite, and lady like. She wore skirts and dresses. She never spit, played poker or fought. She had a factory job, something dependable. She had a loving family that taught her correctly. She never put herself in dangerous situations. She knew her place. She was the opposite of Mattie. Jack deserved a girl like Sarah. Someone who he could take out in public as his girl and never be ashamed of the way she acted.

Mattie shook her head giving up. She went back up the stairs, passed her room, and went into the washroom. When she arrived in the room she was surprised to see someone already in there. She mentally slapped herself for not checking the washroom earlier. Leaning over a sink inspecting himself was Jack. He hadn't heard her come in, and as Mattie made her way into the washroom, she noticed his shirt was completely unbuttoned and not tucked in. She blushed seeing his heaven sculpted chest and stomach. If perfection could be put onto one person it would be Jack.

Upon hearing her arrival Jack looked over, giving Mattie a better look at his exposed flesh. She swallowed trying to keep herself from blushing. Jack grinned when he saw her, seeing no problem with his indecent exposure.

"Finally. I thought you were sleeping in on me." He said. She forced a small laugh.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked trying to keep her eyes on his face. He shrugged.

"Decided I would see how you do this. " He said, but then sighed. "I couldn't get much sleep either."

"Neither did I." She replied softly. The two fell into silence, Mattie staring at her feet, and Jack staring at her. She was once again in her white night gown. However, the way she clutched her clothes to her chest made it impossible for him to see anything. He was kind of glad, because if he had seen anything he probably wouldn't have been able to control himself. She was so pure, and innocent, not realizing her true beauty. Her innocence and the fact that she had no idea just how gorgeous she was made her all the more attractive. Jack took a breath, trying to get any images of her from his head.

He couldn't think of her like that. Things were already weird between the two, and he couldn't make things worse by finding her attractive. She made it so hard though! He knew she had no control over the way that she naturally looked, but he kind of wished that he had been best friends with an ugly girl. It would make things much easier on him.

Looks weren't everything to Jack though. If he could have a perfect dream girl, she would be smart and cunning. She would be kind yet tough. She would be fun-loving but know when a situation was serious. She would always know how to bring up his spirits, and make him feel worth wild. She wouldn't have to be perfect, because perfection was not what Jack was looking for. If they fight, they fight. However, they would make up quickly knowing that they were made for one another.

His eyes travelled to Mattie once more. She still stood there awkwardly, and she ran a hand through her hair nervously. Then he narrowed his eyes. Had he just described Mattie as his dream girl? No… he couldn't have. It wouldn't make sense. She was his _best friend. _Best friends were not to have feelings for one another. Feelings? Where the hell did that come from? Did he have feelings for Mattie? Maybe that was why things were weird between them. He was probably scaring her off. He couldn't believe that he was even thinking about this. Maybe he should talk to her about it….

No! No, if he talked to her about his confusion he may scare her off permanently. He couldn't bare losing her. Not that way. He cared to much to lose her. However, his growing feelings for the girl were clouding his every thought. He hadn't slept well that night, because of his thoughts. He had way too much to think about now. He had the strike going on, and if he thought about losing Mattie for good, he wouldn't be able to focus.

"Well, uh…. I'll let you… get ready." Jack said slowly and carefully. Mattie nodded, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. Jack walked out of the room shaking his head. Mattie let out a breath of relief when he was gone. She didn't know if she could take having him in there, half shirtless, while she got ready. She would have felt so embarrassed. She shook her head as she began getting ready. Jack was making this really hard on her.


	13. What's a King without a Queen?

**Guess what? I don't own Newsies or any songs, or plot or anything like that. :) Anyhoo thank you for reviewing, following, and favoriting my story. I really do appreciate it. **

**Chapter 13**

Mattie took a long time to get ready. She stayed in the washroom for much longer than she usually would. She did different things with her hair. Pulling it up, then letting it down, pulling half of it up, and letting it fall down again. She decided that she would just leave it down as usual. Then she washed her face and brushed her teeth about five times each. She knew she was wasting time, stalling. She knew that if she and Jack were alone together she would only think about her dream/nightmare the night before. She would either be thinking about him kissing her, or she would think about him leaving her. She didn't want to think about either. She tried to focus on the matter at hand.

Denton had asked them to meet him at Tibbys, a popular diner in Manhattan. The newspaper reporter had come early in the morning, and spoke to Kloppman. He said he had something important to show them. Something he spent all night working on. Neither Mattie or Jack knew what he was referring to, but they were both equally excited to find out. Jack had woken a young boy up and told him to go send the message to Spot, so that the Brooklyn leader would be at the restaurant as well. The strike was going well, especially now that Brooklyn was on their side. The newsies actually stood a chance now. This meant that all the other cities would be joining in the strike too. When it had all started, Mattie never believed that they would have come this far. She also hadn't believed that anyone would have been hurt, but again her thoughts failed her.

She still worried about everyone. After the huge fight yesterday, she realized that Pulitzer would be fighting back just as hard as the newsies were fighting. It was a scary thought, to think that they would hurt young kids just because they were fighting for their rights. Mattie also worried about Crutchy. He was still in the refuge, and she didn't know if he was suffering or not. She had been tempted to go and see him, but she hadn't had much time. She was even tempted to ask someone to go check for her, but the other boys were just as busy as she was.

Sounds of the boys filing into the washroom knocked Mattie from her trance. She turned her head from the mirror in front of her to the boys sleepily coming in to do their morning routine. They grunted 'hello's' to her. Mush had asked if she was okay after her little episode the day before. She had fought back the shiver that wanted to climb from her back, and she told her concerned friend that she was much better. She wasn't sure if that was a lie or not.

She obviously had a lot on her mind, and the thought of yesterday put her on edge. She knew Mush meant no harm bringing up the subject, because he was honestly worried about her well-being. However, with everything else she was thinking of, from the strike, to Crutchy, to her dream, she had been lucky she wasn't still terrified about her experience yesterday. Now, she was thinking about it. She knew that man was still on the Manhattan streets, and if he saw her again he wouldn't hesitate on getting his revenge. He had her in the palm of his hands, and he waited too long. He had let her slip through his fingers. Three strikes and you're out.

"So why does Denton want us to meet at Tibbys?" Blink asked. The boys shrugged as they pulled their clothes on or washed their faces.

"I don't know. He said it was a surprise." Mattie spoke up, seeing that she was the only one in the room who knew about the subject.

"Well it better be good. I'm missing out on a couple hours of beauty sleep." Skittery said, being negative as usual.

"Believe me, a couple hours aint' gonna' fix that mug of yours." Racetrack said throwing his towel at Skittery. He sent Race a glare while the boys and Mattie laughed.

* * *

About a half an hour later everyone was making their way to Tibby's. As they were walking Jack found it hard not to watch Mattie. He tried to look away. He tried with all his might to look away, but he couldn't. He was falling, and falling fast. Mattie wasn't a kid anymore. Neither was Jack. She had always been there so it was only natural that he would eventually have feelings for her. But Jack didn't want to have feelings for her. He still couldn't even wrap his head around the idea.

Yeah, Mattie had some great qualities, but she had bad ones too. She was stubborn, way too stubborn for her own good. She never backed down from a fight, barely ever letting her guard down. Oh, and man, sometimes she knew just the right buttons to push to really fire Jack up. She could be such a smart ass, and even when she didn't say things you could see on her face the unspoken insult. Then she always seemed to be a danger magnet. Whether it was her mouth or she was just that unlucky, Jack couldn't figure it out.

Then again, she was loyal, and trustworthy. He could tell her anything, and he wouldn't fear her gossiping. She was a sweetheart when caught on a good day. She knew just the right things to say, something Jack had trouble with. And she was funny, oh the laughs she and Jack shared together. Then there was that bond that only those two had. Sometimes, especially now, Jack hated their closeness. If he didn't know her so well, and he wasn't afraid of losing her, he would have been after her a long while ago.

When they arrived at Tibby's, Les and David were already there. Les had a large grin on his face when he saw his friends. David's eyes scanned the crowd, holding his breath until he found the beautiful brunette filing in behind the other newsies. He stood, straightening his vest and running a hand through his curls. He had tried to make himself look good that morning, making sure his clothes were clean and tidy, and his face was clear of blemishes. Mattie looked beautiful as always, the bruise on her cheek slowly fading away with each day. David figured only Mattie could make such a marking look good.

"Hiya David." She said happily. He smiled even wider at the sound of her happiness. He wished he could make her happy all the time. Lately she seemed off in her own little world, barely cracking a smile. He knew that this wasn't like her, even though he had only known her a short time.

"Hey Mattie." He replied slightly awkward. Before David or Mattie could say anything else, Les came up and wrapped his arms around Mattie. The poor kid had felt guilty about her little outburst the day before. He thought he had been the cause of her pain, and wanted to make it up to her.

"Well, hello there." Mattie said, surprised and happy about the sudden action. She wound her arms around the small boy and squeezed him. Les blushed, but still smiled.

"He felt awful about yesterday." David explained. Mattie's eyebrows furrowed but the sudden realization made her release the boy in her arms and bend down to his level. He wasn't much shorter than her, but she still had to squat a bit to meet his eye level. Les looked down guiltily, but didn't speak. Mattie placed both of her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him and balance herself.

"Hey, I'm alright Les." She told the boy. "I just had a little episode is all."

"Do you do that a lot?" He asked curiously. Mattie sighed looking over Les' innocent face.

"No, I don't. Do you remember when we were selling papers in the fighting ring and you saw that man hurting me?" Mattie asked him, willing him to understand. Les nodded. "Well yesterday, that same man was at the distribution center."

"Oh no." Les said. Mattie forced a smile, trying to make him feel better.

"Yeah. He was there and I got real scared. When Jack grabbed me, I thought it was the guy that gave me this bruise." Mattie said pointing to the mark. Les eyed it for a second before meeting her eyes again.

"How come you thought Jack was that guy?" Les asked, eyebrows shooting up in confusion.

"Sometimes, our minds play tricks on us." Mattie replied with a shrug. She honestly didn't know why it happened. She guessed it was because she was scared, or something was wrong with her mind.

"Jack would never hurt you." Les said. Mattie smiled, a real smile, not something forced. She ruffled the small boy's hair before standing to her full height.

" I know." She said. She felt eyes boring into her from the side. She turned slightly to see Jack siting at a table in the corner, his intense stare on her. She swallowed feeling self-conscious. She told David and Les that she would return, and went to sit by Jack. He watched her the whole way and when she sat next to him he felt his heart skip a beat. Her scent hit him like a wrecking ball. Lavender. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring her scent. When he opened his eyes she was watching him. He felt his face heat up. He had been caught.

"You okay?" She asked. He nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. She gave him a weak smile. Something was wrong with him. Something was different.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally finding his voice.

"Just peachy." She replied. "You have any idea why we are here?"

"Probably something about the strike." Jack replied. Mattie rolled her eyes. Of course it was about the strike!

"Smart ass." She said. Jack let out a chuckle and draped his arm over the back of the booth they were sitting in. Mattie hid her blush, but couldn't stop the smile appearing on her face.

Not too long afterward the Brooklyn newsie's arrived. Jack and Spot spit shook, taking a table to discuss things. Mattie stayed close listening in on the conversation. It was mostly just strategy on what move to make next. Spot had big plans for this strike, mostly for the fame instead of the fight. He wanted his name to go down in history.

"If you're name is spoken for years it's gonna' be for your criminal record." Mattie said. The boys laughed at Mattie's comment, even Spot did, although his wasn't because he thought it was funny. He stood, taking a few steps to Mattie. He was dangerously close, but she stood her ground. He had a cocky smirk on his face. Mattie shot a smirk right back. Spot Conlon didn't scare her, and if anything he was fun to mess with.

"Or maybe it will be my charming way with the ladies." Spot said taking his hand and grazing it down her cheek. The boys ooo'ed at his reaction, but laughed again when Mattie smacked his hand away. Spot laughed again.

"Or maybe it will be from all the diseases you get from those ladies." Mattie shot back. Again the boys had their different reactions, but everyone was amused. Jack watched on with interest. He knew that Mattie liked to talk smack, but when it came to Spot Conlon, Jack knew he was dangerous. He didn't think Spot would ever hit a girl, but if he was provoked he was capable of a lot.

"All me girls are clean!" Spot said getting defensive. Mattie let out a loud laugh.

"I wouldn't trust their word Conlon." She said. Spot glared at her, but she wasn't fazed.

"Well, why don't you show me what a _clean_ girl is like?" Spot whispered. Mattie bit the inside of her mouth. Spot had always wanted to have his way with her, mostly because she was untouchable. Jack knew that, and even thought Spot had aimed his whisper at Mattie, Jack still heard it. He stood, getting in between the two bickering newsies.

"Alright, that's enough. We've got a strike to win." Jack said. He and Spot had a stare down, but soon Spot was back in his seat. Jack sighed before sitting back down as well. Mattie stood there silently, not wanting to cause more trouble.

"Alright fellas!" A loud voice called. "This is it."

All turned to see that Denton had entered the restaurant, a newspaper in his hand. All called excited greetings to the newspaper reporter. Denton slapped the paper right in front of Jack. Mattie leaned over Jack's shoulder reading it. The headline read, _'Children's Crusade, Newsies Stop 'The World.''_ Below was the picture Denton took after the big fight in the distribution center. Mattie's eyes widened at the fact that she was kissing Jack's cheek.

"Where's me picture? Where's me picture?" Spot asked practically shoving Mattie out of the way so he could see the newspaper. Jack looked over the picture mystified. He, Jack Kelly, was in the paper. He was famous. And on this particular picture he was being kissed by the most beautiful girl in Manhattan. He couldn't believe that this was all happening. Their little strike was being put out there. Soon everyone would know.

"Is this all about us?" A voice asked, but Jack was too busy scanning it over. His reading skills were minimal; he only knew what Mattie had taught him. Mattie weaseled herself back into her place on Jack's left and she herself scanned over the paper. She was so giddy. They may just have a shot at winning this thing.

"Look at you, Jack you look like a general!" Mush said happily.

"And Mattie looks like the General's wife." Blink added. Mattie's head shot up and she smacked him in the back of the head. She heard a loud, satisfying thump as a result.

"Where does it say my name?" Spot asked looking over the paper.

"Would you quit thinking about yourself?" Jack asked shooing Spot out of his space. David looked at the paper cringing at the fact that Mattie was kissing Jack's cheek. He wrote it down to the fact that she was excited, or at least he hoped. He turned to Denton.

"You got us on the front page." David said amazed. Denton was who David wanted to be. A smart man who knew what to fight for. He was like a role model. Not that David didn't find his own father a role model, but Denton had a job that David found interesting.

"You got yourselves on the front page. I just gotta' make sure you stay there." Denton replied. He believed in these kids. They weren't just bratty teenagers that were protesting for not getting what they want. These were real life workers who deserved better rights than they were given. It also made for a great story, something Denton needed desperately.

"So what? You get your picture in the papes? What's that get ya'?" Skittery asked. Mattie rolled her eyes at the negative boy.

"What are you talking about?" Mush asked outraged.

"You've been in a bad mood all day!" Jack shouted.

"I ain't in a bad mood." Skittery replied.

"Glum and dumb! What's the matter with you?" Racetrack shouted shoving Skittery's face. "You're in the papes! You're famous! You're famous, you get anything you want!"

"That's what so great about New York!" Mattie shouted out. Racetrack pointed at her smiling wide.

"That's my girl!" Race said. The other boys cheered, letting Race's words ponder through their heads. If they were famous, they could have anything their hearts desired. People would be at their beck and call just to please them because their name was known. Being in the paper was more than just a picture. Being in the paper was a start on life.

"_A pair of new shoes with matchin' laces." _Mush said straddeling a chair.

"_A permanent box at Sheepshead _races_." _Race added gesturing wildly with his hand.

"_A porcelain tub with boilin' water." _Spot said bobbing his head.

"_A Saturday night with the Mayor's daughter." _Kid Blink shouted pulling a very unwilling Mattie up onto the table with him. She slapped him hard, making his already throbbing head hurt twice as bad.

"_Look at me_

_I'm the King of New York_

_Suddenly, I'm respectable_

_Starin' right at 'cha_

_Lousy with stature." _Racetrack said, jumping on a table and holding out the newspaper with the newsies face on it.

"_Nobbin' with all the muckety mucks_

_I'm blowin' my dough and goin' deluxe." _Jack said leaning back onto the table, a paper in his hand.

"_And there I be, ain't I pretty?" _Racetrack said pointing to his face on the paper.

"_It's my city, I'm the King of New York." _Jack and Race sang together.

"_A corduroy suit with fitted knickers." _Boots said, hand on his chin.

"_A mezzanine seat to see the flickers." _Les added.

"_Havana cigars that cost a quarter." _Snipeshooter said thirdly.

"_An editor's desk for the Star Reporter." _David said pulling a chair out for Denton and pushing him up to the table.

"_Tip your hat_

_He's the King of New York." _The newsies chorused to their favorite newspaper reporter.

"_How 'bout that_

_I'm the King of New York." _Denton said getting in on the kids dream.

"_In nothing flat_

_He'll be covering_

_Brooklyn to Trenton_

_Our man Denton." _The newsies said.

"_Makin' a headline out of a hunch." _Mattie said squeezing Denton's shoulder.

"_Protecting the weak-" _ Denton said patting Mattie's hand.

"_- and payin' for lunch" _Racetrack said handing the bill to Denton.

"_When I'm at bat, strong men crumble_

_Proud yet humble_

_I'm the King of New York." _Denton said considering the check.

"_(He's the King of New York)" _ Racetrack sang along with Denton.

"_I gotta be either dead or dreamin'_

_'Cause look at that pape with my face beamin'_

_Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it_

_But I was a star for one whole minute." _The newsies chorused. Then all of a sudden Mattie was grabbed by the waist. She and Mush began dancing, causing Mattie to laugh. He spun her around and around until she was dizzy. She spun into Blinks arms, then Boots, and to Skittery, so on and so forth.

"_Startin' now_

_I'm the King of New York" _The newsies sang, still spinning poor Mattie around the floor, going from newsie to newsie.

"_Ain't ya heard? I'm the King of New York" _Denton added.

"_Holy cow, it's miracle_

_Pulitzer's cryin'_

_Weasel, he's dyin'_

_Flashpots are shootin' bright as the sun_

_I'm one highfalutin' son of a gun." _The newsies chorused together. Mattie was beginning to get really dizzy, feeling the room spin in her head.

"_Don't ask me how_

_Fortune found me_

_Fate just crowned me_

_Now I'm King of New York." _They continued. At this point, Mattie was worried about herself falling over. She tried to stop, but the momentum of her spinning and the boys keeping her going wasn't helping her much.

"_Look and see_

_Once a piker_

_Now a striker_

_I'm the King of New York." _They sang again, Mattie still spinning. She felt like she was going to fall, or throw up.

"_Victory_

_Front page story_

_Guts and glory_

_I'm the King of New York." _They finished, Mattie landing into the expectant arms of Jack. Her hands were rested on his chest, and his arms were circled around her waist, making sure she was stable on her feet. She couldn't see straight, but she could hear his laughter and feel his chest rumbling from the sound. Soon, she found she was laughing along with him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, still laughing. She blinked a few times, but she was still seeing double.

"No, no I'm not." She replied, causing him to chuckle. She tried not to think just how close they were at that moment. She tried to focus on not being dizzy anymore.

"You know, you can't be the King of New York." Jack said causing Mattie's eyes to narrow.

"Why the hell not?" She asked.

"What's a king without a Queen?"


	14. Promises

**I'm trying so hard to get these chapters out ASAP because I want to make sure I finish this. I get so angry if someone has a great story and never finishes it. From feedback I've been getting, you guys have been enjoying it, so I'm hoping this falls under the 'great story' catergory. Anyway, enough with my pointless ranting. **

**I do not own Newsies, it's songs, characters, or dialogue. All of that belongs to Disney.**

**Chapter 14**

"Cute." Was all Mattie could get out. She was still dizzy, and all she could do was stand there in Jack's arms and hope time would freeze. Jack was wishing something similar. He liked holding her, even if she was pushing all her weight on him because she couldn't stand at that moment. Jack had had relations with other girls, nothing serious, but he had held other girls in his arms. And for some reason he couldn't explain, all those girls had meant nothing to him compared to Mattie. It was strange to him that he never saw her, and now that she was always on his mind, he was starting to realize just how stupid he really was.

"I'm always cute." Jack said. He and Mattie had never directly flirted, but right now, flirting with her was all Jack could do. "I'm also pretty handsome, charming, fun-"

"Don't flatter yourself." Mattie replied with a smirk. Her dizziness was no longer present. However, she didn't want Jack to let her go. Things were changing, and she liked this sudden change in her best friend.

"Alright love birds, we gotta' talk about this strike." Spot said, slapping Jack's back, and ruining the moment. Jack didn't let go right away.

"You okay now?" He asked her. She nodded, and he carefully released her making sure he was there if she fell. His hands were still hovering over her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine Jack. I aint' no porcelain doll." Mattie told him. She didn't want him fussing over her. He had to think about more than her falling over. She could at least stand up right without Jack having to worry.

"Yeah, and you don't look like one neither." Blink joked. Mattie spun around, probably not good for her dizziness, but she shoved her friend.

"Keep it up Blink and you're gonna' need a second eye patch." She threatened. Of course, she would never hurt her joking friend. She knew he was only kidding, but she couldn't take that lying down. She had to stand up for herself, because she wasn't a porcelain doll. Sure she bruised like one, but she was still a tough girl.

"Alright, let's have some ideas!" Jack called out, getting attention off Mattie and Blink's impending doom. The newsie's croweded around a table and were all wracking their brained for any ideas.

"We gotta' show people where we stand." David said.

"So, we gotta' stay in the papes." Mattie called pushing her way to the front.

"My paper's the only one prinin' any strike news so far." Denton told the newsies.

"So we should do somethin' that's so big…. The other papers are gonna' feel stupid if they ignore us." Jack said. This was followed by several 'yeah's' and cheers of agreement.

"Like a rally." Mattie suggested, nudging Jack's elbow.

"Yeah, yeah, a newsie rally with all the kids from all over New York." Jack said, elaborating her idea. "We'll make it the biggest, loudest, noisiest blowout this town's ever seen."

"We'll send a message to the big boys." David said trying to find his voice. He was struggling to take charge in this strike. That was Jack's job, but David knew that this whole idea and most of the words were his. He just needed to find the confidence in himself to say them.

"I'll send 'em a message." Racetrack joked, causing the boys to laugh.

"There's a lot of us, and we ain't goin' away." Jack said picking up his drink. "We'll fight until damn doomsday if it means we get a fair shake."

"Yeah!" The boys shouted. A pause of silence made David take a chance. He put his drink in the air.

"Hey, you guys, to our man Denton." David said with as much confidence as he could muster. The other boys, and Mattie, put up their glasses and cheered to the man who had gotten their cause out there.

* * *

The rest of the morning was simply planning. Mattie had come up with the idea of asking Medda if they could hold the rally at Irving Hall. Mattie, Jack, and David had gone to ask if it was okay and she of course said yes. The rally was going to be the next night. Medda promised that she would even sing them a song. The boys were all a buzz about it. They had gone home and got out there best clothing, making sure it would be perfect for the rally. Some even asked Mattie to wash their clothes out, because they didn't know how to do it themselves. She didn't mind though.

Mattie on the other hand wasn't so excited. She had gone home and looked through her small amount of clothing. She owned one dress, and when Mattie tried to pull it on, she realized that it was much too small now for her womanly curves. She was going to have to find something else. She couldn't possibly wear her usual trousers and button up shirt. She would have to scrounge up a dress.

She didn't have money for a new dress, and she didn't believe that she could find one lying on the street somewhere. She pondered borrowing something of Sarah's but threw that idea out. Ever since that dream, Mattie had felt this competition and animosity toward David's sister. She hadn't been around, which was good, but Mattie knew that Sarah found Jack attractive.

That night when they had eaten at the Jacob's apartment, Sarah couldn't keep her eyes off of Jack. Mattie should have seen then that Sarah would try to sink her claws into him. Mattie sighed shaking her head. She was being selfish, and stupid. Sarah hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't like Mattie was promised to Jack and they were to be married. They weren't even in a romantic relationship. They were friends, simply platonic. At least one sided. How was Sarah to know that Mattie was in love with Jack? She couldn't so, Mattie couldn't rationally be angry at Sarah for something that she did in a dream. Of course Mattie could sometimes be a very irrational person.

"You're being silly Mattie." She told herself. She threw different ideas around as to where she would find something suitable for the rally. That was when it hit her. Medda. Medda must have something Mattie could wear. She would go tomorrow, and keep it a surprise. None of the boys had ever seen her in a dress, it would be fun to see their reactions. Suddenly a knock on her door, made her jump.

"Come in!" She called. In stepped a very nervous looking David.

"Hey, Mattie." He said softly. She smiled.

"Hey David." She replied. She could tell he was nervous by the way he stood. He was trying to seem calm, cool, and collected, but in reality, Mattie made him nervous. Ever since the rally had been brought up, he had wanted to ask her to accompany him, not as friends. He didn't know how to ask her or if he had to confidence to do so. He had been thinking of ways to ask her in many different ways. He had never asked a girl to romantically go anywhere with him before. He had never talked to a girl romantically before ever.

"I just uh… had a question…" He said speaking slowly and carefully. He was staring at the floor, rubbing his sweaty palms together.

"Yeah?" She said urging him on. He froze. He couldn't ask her. She probably already had a date, and even if she didn't, why would she want to go with him?

"Uh… I just uh…. Needed your opinion on what to wear to the rally." He blurted out in a frenzy. He had lost his chance. Not that he really had one in the first place.

"Well, uh… anything like what you have on now." She said her eyes trailing up and down his body. He blushed having her look him over. "You dress much better than the boys do on a good day."

"Well… thanks." He said feeling defeated. He had never been good with words, and now he felt like a failure. He was never going to get her attention like this.

"No problem. If you need any more help, I'm here." She said giving him a smile. He smiled weakly as she headed passed him and out of her room. He sighed to himself before following her.

* * *

Later that evening, everyone was out in the lobby painting signs, creating ideas, and getting things ready for the rally the next night. Mattie was laughing along with the guys as she told them how to spell things.

"You gonna' save me a dance Dimples?" Racetrack asked batting his eyelashes. Mattie smirked.

"You're gonna' have to work to get me to dance with you." She told him.

"What about me?" Mush asked.

"Yeah and me!" Boots added. The boys began calling out that they too wanted a dance with Mattie. Mattie laughed throwing her head back. Being the only girl had its ups and downs. Because she was the only girl she got a lot of attention, making the boys want to dance with her. However, that meant she would be dancing all night and would be extremely tired. Besides the only person she really wanted to dance with was Jack, and Jack didn't dance. Not that Mattie was the most graceful thing on earth, but she at least knew how to slow dance and held her own on the dance floor. Her mother had taught her that.

"Boys! Boys! Boys! No need to fight. There is enough Mattie to go around." She said holding up her hands. Loud laughter echoed through the lobby. However, when the door opened, all laughter stopped.

A too familiar grey haired man and ice cold blue eyes stepped into the lodging house. He was dressed in a long black suit, his usual attire, complete with a top hat and black bowtie. He had a permanent scowl on his face, one Mattie knew all too well. He took a couple steps into the door, stepping in the way of some of the small boys crowding around it. Racetrack seeing the man, he immediately recognized him. Being the genius he is, he pulled the cap off an unsuspecting boy and slapped it on Mattie's head. At first she was confused turning to glare at the Italian, but when he started making motions at her hair, she got the idea. Quickly she pulled her long chocolate locks into the cap and did her best to hide her face.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Kloppman asked the man, knowing exactly who he was. Warden Snyder. An evil sick minded man who kept children captive in his refuge. Kloppman wasn't one to lie, but when it came to his newsies he would do just about anything.

"You have a boy who calls himself Jack Kelly? I wish to see him." Snyder asked, not even introducing himself. Mattie tensed at the sound of Jack. From the sound of it, Snyder wasn't looking for Mattie, he was dead set on Jack. She guessed that since Mattie couldn't legally be put in the refuge because it was for boys only, Snyder didn't have to fool with getting her sent somewhere. However, her guard was up, and she was hidden behind the boys. They didn't want her or Jack to be sent anywhere. They were loyal friends, and would do anything to help them.

"Jack Kelly?" Kloppman said putting on his best poker face. "Jack… Never heard of him."

Everyone was silent, and their glares were set on Snyder. Mattie stared at the floor, praying that Snyder wouldn't recognize her, and that Jack would stay upstairs until Snyder was long gone. If it came down to it, Mattie would fight Snyder off and go to jail instead of Jack. She would stoop so low as to murder for him, if it came down to his safety. She guessed that was what love did to a person. It made them want to do crazy, sick things.

"Any of you boys ever heard of Jack Kelly?" Kloppman asked. Several 'no's' or 'never heard of him's' were given making Mattie breathe out in relief.

"That's an unusual name for these parts." Specs said, looking directly at Snyder. Suddenly Jack came walking through, and Mattie jumped. Mush signaled for Jack to be quiet, and when Jack saw Snyder he felt a pit grow in his stomach. He looked to Mattie who stood by the stairs, her hair pulled up into a cap, her eyes downcast. Their gazes met and he swallowed. She was practically shaking in her boots. Whether it was because she was afraid of getting caught or because she was afraid of him getting caught Jack didn't know. What he did know was that his ass needed to get out of there.

"Oh you mean Jack Kelly." Racetrack began, as he walked over to Snyder. "Yeah, he was here. But he put an egg in his shoe and beat it."

The boys laughed, trying to pull down the tension and give Jack a way out. While Snyder wasn't looking, Jack came up behind him. Mattie silently cursed him, as he began making fun of Snyder. She sent a bone chilling glare his way, but he was too busy with his fun to notice her.

"I have reason to believe that he is an escaped prisoner, possibly dangerous." Snyder said, unbeknownst to the mockery behind him.

"Oh, dangerous?" Kloppman began. "I better look through my files."

"He may also have an accomplice." Snyder said, his eyes going over the newsies. "A female accomplice."

You could practically cut the tension with a knife. Jack froze, as did Mattie. Everyone was silent again. Not only did Jack have to get out, but now Mattie did also. With quick thinking, Racetrack grabbed Mattie's hand and flung her over to Jack. Jack caught her with ease, and took off to the back. Several of the boys grabbed the signs they had been painting and held them up just in time to block Jack and Mattie's escape.

"Give to the newsie strike fund mister?" Racetrack asked. Snyder smirked, knowing that something was up. He did, however, hand a coin to Race, then followed Kloppman behind his counter.

* * *

Once Mattie and Jack were safely out of the lodging house they hit the streets, running as far from that place as possible. Jack didn't let go of Mattie's hand once. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew that they had to get somewhere safe. This is why he wanted to go to Santa Fe. No more running, no more striking, no more being someone he's not. If he hadn't of been here Mattie wouldn't be in danger right now. Granted, if he wasn't in New York, she might have died, but she would have been safe from Snyder. All he wanted for her was safety and happiness. Lately he couldn't do both.

"Jack, where are we going?" Mattie asked, struggling to keep up with the long legged newsie. He didn't answer right away, he just kept going. That is until he saw a familiar fire escape. He stopped suddenly, causing Mattie to go crashing into his back. He caught her, steadying her before he let go. He looked up at the fire escape to the particular apartment he was looking for. The lights were off, so he figured that they were asleep, and there windows were probably locked. He should have tried to go someplace else, but there wasn't anywhere else he could think of.

"Right here." He finally answered her. She nodded knowing that they were at the Jacob's apartment. She began climbing the stairs being as quiet as possible, Jack following right behind her. Once they reached the top, Jack settled on one step right next to Sarah's window, and Mattie sat beside him. Both didn't speak, they tried to catch their breaths. It was getting late, the moon was already out and Mattie could feel her eyelids getting heavy.

"I'm sorry." Jack whispered. Mattie looked over at him her eyebrows furrowing. What did he have to apologize for?

"What?" She asked. Jack ran a hand over his face and then locked it into his hair. He didn't look at her when he spoke.

"It's all my fault. All of this is my fault." He said. Her breath hitched at his words. He was blaming himself for putting them in danger. He had absolutely no idea how much she was actually the cause of all their problems.

"No, it's not. Jack." She said trying to get his attention. He continued to look away. "Jack look at me."

It took him a few seconds but he slowly looked over at her. She had guilt written all over her face. Her eyes bore into him with such intensity that it made him stay silent. She bit her bottom lip trying to find the right words. His eyes traveled to her pink lips and he felt his body warm up. What would it be like to kiss her? No! No! No thinking about her lips. He looked back up into her eyes and were trapped in a sea of brown.

"None of this is your fault. It's mine." She told him. He opened his mouth to interject, but her soft, warm hand shot to his mouth and covered it, making it impossible for him to speak. "You were sent to the refuge because of _me. _You were stealing for _me. _You escaped because of _me. _And now Snyder is after _both_ of us because of _me. _The key word here is _me. _Mattie. It's all my fault."

Jack could hear the guilt in her voice. He had no idea how terrible she felt about all of this. He had always blamed it on himself, feeling awful that she was pulled into this word. Now, come to find out, she was blaming herself just as much because of something _he _did. He couldn't let her feel bad about a crime _he_ committed.

"Mattie…. You don't get it do you?" Jack said. She looked up at him, curiosity on her face. "_I _stole that bread because _I_ wanted to. _I _got sent to the refuge because _I _committed a crime. I didn't have to do that stuff, but I wanted too because I…. I care about you."

She stared at him, dumbstruck. She couldn't help but notice how he tripped up on his words at the end. Jack noticed it too. Was he about to say love? Of course he loved Mattie, but did he mean it a different way. With his strange feelings toward her he couldn't imagine how he could love her. When they had been kids, she was like his little sister. He loved her as a sister. Then when they got older and they became such good friend, he loved her as his best friend. Now that he was obsessing over how beautiful she looked, all of her good qualities, her safety, and kissing her pink frosted lips, could he truly fall in love with her? Was he falling in love with his best friend? He couldn't… shouldn't. It wasn't right, with everything they had been through. He wasn't supposed to fall for her, but come to realize he was. He just couldn't let her know that. Maybe this was a faze. Maybe in a month, everything will go back to normal. Fat chance of that happening.

"I care about you too." She admitted, trying to hide her true love for him from her voice. "That's why it kills me that Snyder is after you."

"Me too." Jack mumbled. The two fell into comfortable silence. Both stared up at the moon and the stars, thinking of a better life, and each other. If only they had met under different circumstances, or a different time things could be different. Or if Jack had realized his feelings sooner; Or if Mattie had actually told him, things could be different. Right now, things were too complicated, too many things were going on. There was too much confusion. All they needed now was the make sure the other was safe.

"Will it ever end?" Mattie whispered, so low Jack could barely hear her. He didn't answer right away. He didn't know how to answer her question. He wished her could and give her a completely honest answer of yes or no, but he couldn't. Not just yet. So, he spoke with actions. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him. She leaned into his side, welcoming his body heat, and his pleasing scent. He leaned his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the smell of her hair.

"I don't know." Jack finally answered. "All I know is that I'm going to keep you safe. I promise."

Mattie spoke no more. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. Jack smiled slightly, kissing the top of her head before closing his own eyes. The two fell asleep tangled in one another's arms. That was one of the first peaceful sleeps either one had gotten in a while.


	15. You've Got it Bad

**I'm working so hard on this! I hope it's to your liking. I want to get this story finished, because it will be the first story I have ever finished before in my life! So, review please! I love feedback! I haven't gotten as many reviews in these last few chapters than before, so I'm wondering if you've lost interest or some of you forgot to review but honestly I love reviews! **

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 15**

Both Mattie and Jack had stayed in the position all night. Mattie was leaning on Jack, her head in the crook of his neck and her arm around his waist. While, Jack was leaning against the hand railing, using one arm as a pillow and his other arm was securely around Mattie. They both would be sore when they woke up, but sleeping in one another's arms had benefitted their sleeping habits. Both slept soundly without nightmares or strange dreams. Neither woke up to thoughts of the future. And neither had trouble falling asleep. It was as if that was where they were supposed to be.

The sun had risen, and both were still asleep. This was weird for Mattie, especially. It was probably because she had lacked sleep lately and sleeping beside Jack had made it easier for her to catch up on her sleep. Sarah, however, had just woken up. She rolled onto her side and saw a bushy bunch of hair outside of her window. She narrowed her eyes sitting up and leaning toward it. She recognized both heads when she was close enough. Her heart sank a bit when she saw Jack's arm around Mattie and their close position.

"Did you sleep out there all night?" She said, not too loud to frighten them, but just loud enough to wake them. Jack woke, jumping slightly. He looked up at Sarah and smiled.

"Yeah." He said slightly groggy. That was the best sleep he had gotten in a while.

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Sarah asked, not approving of the fact that he felt the need to sleep on the fire escape.

"Well, I didn't want to disturb nobody." Jack said looking Sarah over. Sarah was pretty, real pretty, with her light brown hair and sky blue eyes. She dressed well too, like a proper lady. She was quiet spoken, sweet, and had manners. She knew how to cook, clean, and take care of a home. She would be what any guy would want in a wife. However, she wasn't what Jack wanted. Sure, he was attracted to Sarah and he knew that if they were a couple they would have fun together, but there was something holding him back. That something was Mattie.

"Looks like you slept well." Sarah commented seeing his fresh looking face.

"Yeah, it was a nice change. I haven't slept well in a while." Jack replied. Sarah nodded.

"The strike?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jack replied, but that wasn't all. He looked down seeing Mattie's sleeping form still in his arm. He was surprised that he was up before her, but he guessed she needed sleep as well. Her bruise was almost gone, instead of being a bright purple it was yellowing. She was a fighter, something Jack loved about her.

"Meet me on the roof." Sarah said. Jack looked back over at her and nodded. She sent him a smile, before disappearing into the house. Jack sighed before taking his arm and hooking it under Mattie's knees. He stood slowly trying to keep his balance before making his way to the roof of the building. Once he was up there, he set the sleeping girl gently on an old chair. She moaned a little bit, and he feared he may have woken her up, but she was soon back to sleep.

Jack stood there watching her sleep. Even in the morning that girl was beautiful. She could give the goddess Aphrodite a run for her money. He stood there watching her for what seemed like ages before Sarah came up onto the roof.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, carrying a basket on her arm.

"Yeah." Jack replied.

"Good, because I made you breakfast." Sarah replied. Jack took a seat, watching Sarah intently. "Papa's so proud of you and David. You should hear him talking about Jack Kelly, the strike leader who occasionally takes his meals with us."

"Well this is one strike leader who's gonna' be very happy when it's all over." Jack told her honestly. "Then I can get outta' here and go to Santa Fe. I mean there's nothing for me to stay for is there?"

Sarah didn't answer. She wanted to tell him that he could stay for her, but that didn't seem practical. They hadn't known each other long, and it seemed that it was just a small crush she had on him. Her eyes travelled to Mattie, who was still sleeping on the chair. Sarah envied the newsgirl. Mattie was tough, a natural beauty, and could actually talk to boys like Sarah couldn't. She also envied Mattie because she could sense the connection between herself and Jack. It was a bond that no one could break. Not any girl or boy could break that connection, that chemistry between the two.

"You should see Santa Fe. Everything's different there." Jack said knocking Sarah from her thoughts. "It's all bigger. You know the desert, and the sky and the sun."

"It's the same sun as here." Sarah pointed out.

"Yeah it just looks different." Jack said. Sarah nodded not knowing what else to say. She knew she had to get ready for work soon, but she wished that she could still talk to Jack. She enjoyed talking to him. He was a breeze to talk to, not like some of the other boys she had met before. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that they could never be more than friends. There was someone standing in the way of any relationship moving forward.

"Jack. I think I know of something you should stay for." Sarah finally spoke. Jack looked up at her.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" He asked. Sarah didn't speak, she simply set her eyes on Mattie. Jack followed her gaze to the sleeping brunette. He swallowed upon realizing what Sarah had meant.

"I better get ready for work." Sarah said turning and walking toward the steps from the roof. Jack didn't say anything, he just watched her leave. Once she was gone he looked back to Mattie who had begun to stir. Maybe he could stay, or maybe she could go with him. He never really thought about consequences of leaving. If he left, he would probably never see Mattie again. Yet, if he stayed he wouldn't be living out his dream. And he thought his emotions were flying high, before.

* * *

When Mattie finally awoke, she was embarrassed to find that Jack had woken before her and she had slept much later than she usually would. She needed the sleep in all honesty. It felt good to sleep in for once in a long time. She ate what was left of the breakfast Sarah had made, and sat with Jack in comfortable silence. Bothe friends were thinking again. They had the rally to plan out, and Mattie knew she had to go over to Medda's earlier so she could get ready. She hoped Medda would be able to help her. Maybe she could help Mattie feel like a girl instead of like one of the boys.

"Are you excited for the rally?" Mattie asked Jack before taking a sip of milk. Jack shrugged.

"I'm ready for this whole thing to be over." He admitted. Mattie nodded, not knowing what else to say. She wanted this to end too. She wanted everything to go back to normal. She wanted to wake up at the crack of dawn, sell papers, and hope that Jack finally saw her more than a friend. She silently slapped herself, she wasn't supposed to be thinking like that anymore. She knew that it would take time, and she knew Jack would always have part of her heart. Love was hard, but having your feelings completely overlooked was even worse.

"You ready to head home?" Jack asked standing. Mattie was about to nod, but forgot about going to Medda's. She didn't know how much time Medda would need to prepare, so she figured she would go early.

"I'm actually going to head to Irving Halle early." Mattie told him. Jack's eyebrows furrowed.

"How come?" He asked. Mattie smirked, feeling flirty. She took a few steps forward, not so she was right on top of him, but enough so that all his attention was on her. What she didn't know was that his heartbeat was rising because of how close she was. She wasn't even that close and he was acting like this.

"It's a surprise." She admitted. She then turned on her heel, flipping her hair, and began to head for the stairs. Jack stood there for a few seconds completely dumbstruck. He swallowed hard as he watched her go. He wasn't expecting for her to look back around, so he had to compose himself when she whipped back around a grin on her face.

"Are you coming?" She asked. Jack nodded, jogging to meet up with her. She had no idea what she did to him.

* * *

Jack walked Mattie to Irving Hall, making sure she arrived there safe. He hugged her goodbye, promising to be back later. She tried her best not to get excited over the hug. It was quick, and wasn't supposed to mean anything, but she couldn't help but always read into any contact between them. She watched him go, and sighed when he was out of sight. She went through the back, knowing that Medda wouldn't mind. She weaved through the small hallways, knowing the way by heart. It was quiet, probably because Medda had closed the hall for the newsies use later. As she approached Medda's dressing room, she could hear the red head beauty humming to herself. The door was cracked open, so Mattie eased it open slowly. Medda sat at her vanity, her long red locks cascading down her back. It was slightly damp, giving Mattie the idea she had just bathed. She was dressed in a light pink robe, and her face was free of any kind of makeup. The young woman was even beautiful without a lick of makeup.

"Knock, knock." Mattie said knocking on the door. Medda turned her head, and smiled widely when she saw the newsgirl poised at the door. She stood from the stool she had been sitting on and walked to the door.

"Oh Mattie!" Medda said pulling her into her arms. "It's so nice to see you."

"You too Medda." Mattie replied. Medda pulled back and looked at the young girl. She knew that she would see her later, but she didn't think that she would be there so early.

"What are you doing here?" Medda asked. Mattie tucked hair behind her ear and looked down nervously. She didn't know how to ask for a makeover, especially from Medda the Swedish Meadow Lark.

"Well I uh… I need to ask a favor." Mattie said looking up at her. Medda released her shoulders, turned, and gracefully sat back on her stool. She crossed her legs and placed her dainty hands on her knees.

"Ask away." Medda encouraged. Mattie again felt a pang of nervousness. She shouldn't have been nervous around Medda, seeing that she knew her for a long time. However, she feared that Medda would laugh or say that she was impossible to make pretty.

"I need…. I need something to… wear tonight." Mattie said trying to find the right words. Medda's eyebrows shot up. "Like a dress."

Medda rose from the stool once again, slowly, and silently. She turned to her racks upon racks of clothing. Some were evening dresses, others were costumes. She shifted through the different color garments and then looking at Mattie. She pulled out several dresses that she thought would look good and fit her well. With an armful of dresses she walked over to Mattie and handed them to the confused girl.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to get you into a dress." Medda said. Both girls laughed out loud. Mattie looked down at the bunch of dresses and felt her heart skip a beat. She was excited. She could finally feel like a girl, instead of one of the boys. Medda smiled and pushed Mattie behind a changing screen.

Mattie tried on a lot of dresses. It took the two girls about two hours to go through all the dresses, and they still hadn't decided on one dress. Some of the dresses didn't fit Mattie correctly. Others were a color that clashed with Mattie's skin tone or hair color.

"Let's take a break." Medda said, completely bushed. Mattie nodded, and decided that she needed a nice warm bath. So, she went to Medda's private bathroom and drew her bath. When Mattie was in the tub she closed her eyes. She was so tired of trying on dresses, she remembered why she hated wearing them in the first place. According, to Medda, there is a dress for everyone, we just haven't found mine yet. It killed her that Medda could wear anything she wanted and sill be beautiful. She was beginning to give up, but she needed to keep trying. Medda still had a lot of dresses Mattie hadn't tried on. There had to be something there.

Mattie didn't want to wear just her usual attire. She didn't just want to impress the boys, but she wanted to do this for herself. She wanted to feel pretty, something she had never really felt before. She didn't want to be a sissy little girly girl, that wasn't her. But that didn't mean a tough girl couldn't wear a dress. She wondered what Jack would say. He would probably be shocked, more shocked than most of the guys. She kind of wanted him to be shocked. She wanted to make him speechless, even if for only a few seconds. Her mind went back to when he had called her beautiful. It made her shiver just thinking about it. She wondered if he would think she was really beautiful when she was all made up.

Once she was bathed she stepped from the tub and did her best to dry off. She took one of Medda's robes off the hook and pulled it on. She came out of the bathroom to find Medda fixing her hair up. Medda smiled when she saw Matte emerge from the bathroom.

"You look refreshed." Medda complimented, pulling some of her hair back with a sparkly clip. Mattie nodded and took a seat on Medda's plush couch. Mattie had never felt so on top of the world. Medda's place was beautiful, a place Mattie dreamed of living in, at least for a short time. Mattie was a girl, and every girl, even the biggest tom boy could agree that living like a princess was a dream. She didn't ask for much, but even sitting on this couch made her feel on top of the food chain.

"Come here." Medda ordered. Mattie stood walking over to the stool, and Medda pushed her down into her. Medda started on her makeup, not putting on much because Mattie didn't need makeup to look pretty. Once her hair was dry she worked on the chocolate brown locks. She pulled some of the waves up, and left the rest fall down her shoulders. Holding the hair up was a sparkly diamond encrusted clip.

"God, Medda. This is beautiful." Mattie said staring at the pin in her hair. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, next to her mother's pearl necklace that Mattie's father had given her before he left town. It was a simple necklace, a small gold chain with one small pearl that sat in the middle of the wearers chest. It was simple, but so beautiful to Mattie. She missed seeing that necklace, never wore by her mother. Her mother always had it in her jewelry box, saying it didn't mean anything to her anymore. However, the fact that she never tried to sell it and that she would stare at it longingly never got past Mattie. Then when the state came in and took Mattie away, she never got a chance to get the necklace. She didn't know where is was now, probably hanging around someone else's neck.

"It was given to me by my mother for my eighteenth birthday." Medda said with a smile. Mattie smiled back to her in the mirror. Medda's mother too was dead. So she knew exactly what Mattie was feeling. She knew that it was hard not having a mother, except Medda had her mother until she was twenty and Mattie's died when she was nearly ten. Mattie never really had a mother, so Medda had to do her best to be a mother figure to the young girl.

"I remember when she gave it to me. I tried to tell her it was too much money and that she didn't have to spend so much on me. Then she insisted that I had it." Medda said placing her hands on Mattie's shoulder. "It looks beautiful in your hair."

"I bet it looks better in yours." Mattie replied. Medda narrowed her eyes. She could hear Mattie's tone and didn't like it one bit.

"Now don't talk like that." Medda said lightly slapping Mattie's shoulder. "You are a beautiful young lady."

Mattie didn't say anything, she just looked down. Medda sighed knowing that she couldn't do much more to try and convince Mattie of the truth. Some girls just couldn't see their inner or outer beauty. Medda used to feel like that. She wished that she could be like the other girls with their dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. Instead she was given big red hair, light blue eyes, and pale skin. She liked the look of the exotic beauty, like Mattie with her Spanish heritage. It was crazy to Medda that this girl couldn't see just how gorgeous she was.

"Come on, let's find you a dress." Medda said. Mattie groaned, causing Medda to giggle. Even Medda's laugh was beautiful. Mattie stood and walked back to the racks of dresses. It was a good while before they had gone through all the dresses but one. The last one was one Medda forgot she had. It was deep blue in color, something that would compliment Mattie's complexion well. The material was satiny soft and felt good in Mattie's fingers. The sleeves were three quarters on the arms. The front was a little lower cut than Mattie was used to, but not too revealing that she would be completely uncomfortable. As Mattie looked at the gown she fell in love with it. She was eager to try it on, so she went behind the screen and pulled it on. When she stepped out from around the screen, Medda's mouth dropped. Mattie felt a pang of embarrassment. Did she look that bad?

"Is it terrible?" Mattie asked, trying to keep her blush at bay. Medda was speechless for a second before cracking a grin.

"Terrible? Darling, you look…." Medda said trying to find the right word. "Stunning."

Stunning? Mattie had never been called that, let alone heard it. She just hoped Medda wasn't just saying that to make her feel better. She let out a breath before stepping around Medda and looking into Medda's floor length mirror. Mattie gasped, not recognizing the girl in the mirror. This girl, well woman, looked like a beautiful, confident princess. She dress hugged Mattie's curves, in ways she didn't know could be possible. The cut on the front showed a bit of cleavage, something she wasn't used to, but didn't mind too much. The skirt of the dress reached the floor, and billowed out from her hips. She twirled around, the ends of the dress flying behind her. With her hair, makeup, and dress she felt undeniably better. She finally looked like a woman, something she had been dying for.

"You look beautiful love." Medda said from behind her. Mattie turned and smiled. She felt beautiful, something she also wasn't used to. She then turned back to the mirror biting her bottom lip. She wondered what the boys would say, especially Jack.

* * *

Jack sat on the fire escape of the boarding house alone. The only things accompanying him were his thoughts. He had been out there for a while. He hadn't spoken much when he returned home. The boys asked about Mattie, but he didn't have much information to give them. She hadn't even told him what she was up to, and that wasn't like her. They shared everything together, well except for his feelings for her. He had finally concluded that he was just lonely and that was why he felt the need to be near her all the time. Maybe he should try harder to find another girl to keep him occupied. The only problem was, he didn't want another girl. He wanted Mattie.

He thought about Sarah, and how they would make a good couple. She was the kind of girl he always dreamed of courting, and eventually marrying. However, then Mattie threw him for a loop. She had changed his whole perspective on girls in general. She needed him, as much as she would love to do things by herself, he knew that she sometimes needed help. She was just so God-damned stubborn. She also had no idea Jack felt this way about her.

"_I'm not waiting for you anymore."_

He shuddered, thinking back to the night that he had royally screwed up. He still didn't completely understand what she had meant by that, but he knew that he had to be honest with her. He should have told her the truth, and told her how much he really did care for her. But what if she pushed him away? He didn't think he could take that kind of rejection, especially not from her. She was way too important in his life to lose. Then again if he didn't tell her he would never be able to get over it. He would feel incomplete, and in conclusion unhappy.

He growled to himself, angrily pulling his fingers through his hair. He was angry with himself. He was angry that he let himself feel this way about his best friend. He was angry that it had to be now that he figured it out. And he was angry that she was so God-damned beautiful inside and out.

"Heya Cowboy." A voice said. Jack looked to his left to see no one other than Spot Conlon coming out onto the fire escape. Jack squinted at the Brooklyn leader confused.

"What are ya' doin' here Spot? We don't have to go to Medda's place for another hour." Jack informed him. Spot shrugged, lighting a cigarette. He offered one to Jack but Jack shook his head. He decided to quick smoking, because Mattie secretly hated it.

"I figured I'd head over here early." Spot replied. Jack nodded, and the two newsies fell into silence. It seemed like a lifetime before Spot chuckled. "You got it bad don't ya'?"

"What are you gabbing about?" Jack snapped looking toward Spot.

"You know exactly what I'm 'gabbing' about." Spot said, imitating Jack. Jack narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I have no idea what you are talkin' about." Jack said. Spot chuckled again taking a drag on his cigarette. He flicked the ashes before he spoke again.

"Ya' might want to make your move now, before someone else does." Spot said, causing Jack to look up and glare. As Spot suspected, Jack knew exactly who he was referring to. Spot threw his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I aint' about to move in on your girl, but I've seen a couple eyes following her wherever she goes."

Jack should have known that the male gender would start noticing her sometime, he just wished he had noticed before the others did. He never thought the guys would try anything with her. For the most part their playful, flirty banter was friendly. Except for Blink, most of the time he was serious about seeing her indecently, but Jack knew that Blink would do anything for her. He was just a horn dog.

"Who's eyes?" Jack asked, knowingly selling himself out. He wasn't going to admit his feelings out loud to anyone but maybe Mattie, if he ever grew the balls to do so. However, he was curious about who Spot was talking about.

"Well, a couple of my boys talked about her, but I told her she was off limits." Spot admitted. Jack felt anger course through his veins as he thought of one of those scum bags touching her. "And there's someone closer to home."

Jack thought about the boys again. He couldn't think of any of them looking at her other than a sister, or close friend. Then again, he never thought that he would feel that way toward her either. Maybe he was too focused on his own feelings to notice anyone else looking at her romantically.

"Oh yeah? And who's that?" Jack asked, curiously. Spot chuckled. He wasn't a snitch, and he didn't believe in throwing anyone under the bus, especially when it wasn't any of his business.

"Let's just say, you should keep your eyes open. He's pretty obvious about it." Spot said. He stomped out his cigarette before stepping back inside. Jack huffed to himself. He was so confused, and so stressed out all he wanted to do was sleep. And maybe hold someone. A female someone. A female friend of his that he was falling in love with, slowly but surely


	16. The Rally

**This is finally getting to the good part! I'm really excited for these next couple chapters. Lot's of Jack/Mattie love!**

**I do not own Newsies. **

**Chapter 16**

The boys headed to Irving hall, all a buzz with excitement. It had been a long time since they've been to a party, and this wasn't just a simple party. This was a statement, telling everyone that they weren't going away. They were going to be as loud, obnoxious, and crazy about this situation that they could be. They weren't just a couple bratty kids that were angry because they didn't get what they wanted. They were a union and they deserved to be seen as one.

Jack and the boys walked into Irving Hall with smiles on their faces. The hall was big, plenty big for all the newsies they invited. They even had space to dance, which a lot of the guys were excited about. Most of them were planning on dancing with Mattie, which felt like a torn in Jack's side. He had never been one for dancing, especially dancing with a girl. Especially not with Mattie. Jack sighed to himself, still thinking about Mattie, and what Spot had said. _Let's just say, you should keep your eyes open. He's pretty obvious about it. _

"Perk up Cowboy." Racetrack said, slapping Jack on the back. "We've got a party to throw."

"It's a rally Race." Jack reminded his gambling friend. Racetrack waved him off.

"Rally, party. What's the difference?" Racetrack said. Jack just rolled his eyes. He then scanned the room, not seeing who he was looking for. He had no idea where Mattie was, and he felt weird looking around for her. She had been with Medda all day, so she wasn't in any danger. At least he figured she wasn't. He was very anxious to see her. He wanted to know what this _surprise _was. He was way too excited for his own good.

"Hi Jack." A voice said. Jack turned around excitedly, only to find that it was Sarah behind him. David and Les were tagging along behind her. He forced a smile, trying to sneak a peek behind her for Mattie.

"Hey Sarah, David, Les. It's nice yall' could make it." Jack said, but his words didn't meet his eyes. He was obviously distracted, even though David and Les couldn't see it, Sarah saw through Jack's wall. He was looking for someone and from the looks of it he was looking for Mattie.

* * *

Pacing around Medda's dressing room, was a frantic Mattie. She heard the boys enter the hall, hearing their footsteps and their loud voices. Her heart rate had picked up and went into over drive. She looked over herself countless times, feeling slightly over dressed. Of course she would be overdressed seeing that none of the boys would be wearing dresses. They would be in newsie clothing, because they didn't have anything else. She was starting to doubt the whole thing.

"God, Mattie. I can't believe how fantastic you look." Medda said shoving an earring into her ear.

"Are you sure it's not too much?" Mattie asked, feeling unsure. Medda dropped her arms, sighing. She had done everything in her power to make Mattie see just how gorgeous she is, and she hasn't had much luck. She thought she had gotten through to her when she had finally found this beautiful dress that looked perfect on her. Now, Mattie had a look of terror on her face, causing Medda to want to smack her.

"You look perfect." Medda told her. Mattie looked down, not believing a word Medda was saying. "Why are you so worried about this?

"I'm not worried." Mattie lied.

"Is this about someone?" Medda asked. Mattie swallowed shaking her head. That was when it hit Medda. Mattie wasn't taking Medda's compliments to heart because she didn't need them. She needed a certain newsie's compliments and approval. A newsie with a red bandana and cowboy hat.

"Is this about Jack?" Medda asked, with an all knowing tone. Mattie froze looking at the red head. Mattie thought that for all these years she had been covering her feelings. Apparently she had been faltering because it seemed like everyone knew about her 'secret' love.

"No! Why would you think that?" Mattie asked finally finding her voice. Medda shrugged, causing Mattie to sigh.

"I just figured that you might want to impress someone with this look." Medda admitted. She didn't want to throw the young girl under the bus, or make her feel uncomfortable.

"I just wanted the boys to see me as a girl, not just like another one of the boys." Mattie replied. Medda nodded, taking a few steps closer. She pushed a stray strand of her hair and pushed it out of the way. Mattie smiled weakly at her.

"You are going to knock them out." Medda told her. "They won't know what hit them."

Mattie smiled for real then. She wasn't as nervous anymore. Medda was a good pep-talker. She had actually made Mattie feel beautiful. She just hoped that the boys didn't think she looked stupid. Especially Jack. His opinion mattered most to her. She didn't know what she would do if he laughed at her.

"Thank you so much." Mattie said pulling Medda into a hug. Medda smiled squeezing her back. She cut the hug short though.

"Go. Their waiting for you." Medda said. Mattie took a deep breath before departing the dressing room. She felt her heart speed up again. She really hoped that she was ready for this.

* * *

Five minutes. Jack had been looking for five minutes for her. He had asked around, and no one had seen her. He had looked in every nook and cranny for her and he was getting very anxious. He didn't know why he was so eager to see her.

_Oh right, I'm falling for her. _

Jack breathed out an irritated sigh. It wasn't really at Mattie's disappearance, but more at himself. He had other things to think about than her and whatever he was feeling toward her. He had a strike to think about, and planning to do. Of course, none of that stopped him from checking around the hall again.

He had finally given up after his second search. He walked up, defeated, to where David stood talking to some of the boys. Sarah was at his side, feeling out of place with all of these boys. She had agreed to come, only because she knew her brother and new friend Jack may need support. She didn't know how Mattie did it. Hanging around all of these boys on a regular basis. It was another thing Sarah envied her for.

"Where's Mattie?" David asked. Jack looked at him with intense eyes and shrugged. He didn't want to look like he was dying without her being there. He didn't want to look vulnerable. Just like Mattie, Jack hated feeling weak. He especially hated when people could see his weakness.

"I was just thinking that myself." Jack said, trying to be nonchalant. David had been looking for Mattie too, not as hard as Jack had, but his eyes did scan the place for the pretty newsgirl. He wondered why she wasn't there, glued to Jack's side. It wasn't in her character. Now, that he realized that Jack didn't know where she was either, that was out of character for both of them.

"Hey boys." Blink said coming up and clapping Jack on the back. "I think I found her."

Blink turned looking toward the grand staircase. All eyes followed, and Sarah couldn't help the gasp that came from her mouth. Mattie descended the stairs, her hand gripping the handrail. She willed herself not to fall, or trip on her gown. She tried to hide her nervousness, but when she felt everyone watching she felt her face get hot. She looked across the room, seeing several friendly, familiar faces smiling at her. When she caught sight of Sarah, David, and Les she smiled at them. Then she saw the person that this whole get up was for.

Jack swallowed hard as he watched her walk toward him. Her dress fit her well, showing off curves that he didn't know that she had. Her hair framed her face, which had just enough makeup to make her look like a goddess. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had only seen Mattie wear a dress when she was a kid, but that was changed really quickly. She was definitely not a kid anymore. Mattie was a woman, a beautiful woman. A woman who made Jack's heart skip a beat with every step she took toward him.

She bit her bottom lip, not liking all the stares she was getting. Her eyes locked on Jack's and she tried her hardest to not look away. She wanted him to see her, not as his best friend, but as something more. Anything more. She reached the small group and smiled weakly, breaking eye contact with Jack and looking around. They stayed silent for a second, the boys seemingly paralyzed. Hating the silence, Sarah broke it.

"You look fantastic." Sarah said pulling Mattie in for a small hug. Mattie was slightly stunned at the contact, but didn't protest the gesture.

"Fantastic? Good God she looks like an angel fell from heaven." Mush said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her hand. Mattie chuckled pulling her hand back.

"I didn't know you had it in ya'." Blink told her.

"Well, Medda helped, a lot." Mattie replied. She dared a look at Jack, but he seemed too shocked to speak.

"Well, she did a hell of a job." Racetrack said. "She turned a street rat into a high class lady."

"Don't test me Race. This 'classy lady' can still whip you're ass." Mattie said. The boys hooted and hollered. Sarah was taken aback by the foul language, but laughed anyway. The boys taunted her a little more before moving on to other things. Mattie looked over at Jack, who still hadn't spoken. Jack's eyes were roaming over the dress, and when they reached her face, they stopped. Mattie's cheeks began to burn and she looked away a second. Seeing this Sarah took hold of both her brothers and steered them away.

The two were silent, now alone, but no one dared to speak. Jack was still mystified by the way Mattie was dressed, and Mattie was afraid to speak and ruin everything. He was obviously speechless, but she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She was nervous, so nervous she thought her heart would burst from her chest and fall on the floor. Maybe then she could live peacefully without that thing bothering her.

"So this is what you were doing all afternoon?" Jack said. He wasn't angry, or laughing. He seemed honestly curious.

"Surprised?" She asked. Jack chuckled before meeting her gaze again.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." He admitted. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked, feeling bold. Jack looked over her face. She looked amazing, beautiful, fantastic and every other word he couldn't think of. He wondered why she did this though. Why she would go through so much trouble. She was already pretty naturally. She was already attractive with her other clothes. Maybe she was trying to impress someone. Maybe she was trying to impress that guy that Spot warned Jack about. He felt his blood boil, but tried to focus on Mattie. He didn't want to get angry right now. He wanted to relish in any second he had with this beautiful girl he called a friend.

"A very good thing." He practically whispered. She smiled, feeling reassured that this was a good idea. "You really do look great."

"Thank you. You clean up nice yourself." She said looking him over. His hair was slicked back out of his eyes, giving her full access to look at his features. He wore his usual attire, but he had washed them, and put on a nice looking jacket. She remembered when he found that jacket. At the time it had been too big for him to wear, and he had found it on the street. On the inside was a small hole, but Mattie had patched it up for him. He told her that one day he would be able to wear it, and feel like a real 'gentleman' as he said.

"I am pretty good-looking." Jack said. Mattie laughed shoving him slightly. He laughed along with her, slipping his arm around her shoulder and veering her off.

* * *

About a half an hour later, the hall was filled to the brim with newsies. Newsies from all over New York had come to listen to what Jack had to say. Coney Island, Queens, West Side, of course Brooklyn, and everyone else had shown up. Mattie was sitting at a table next to Sarah. She looked around and felt a sense of pride. Her best friend, the man she loved, had put this all together. All these kids were here, because of Jack. Because he encouraged them to fight for their rights. She could feel herself falling for him even more, if that was possible.

Jack was running around meeting people, and talking to newsie leaders. His brain was on overdrive as he spoke to everyone. He hadn't really had time to actually spend a moment with Mattie. He had seen her at a table, pretending to listen to whatever Sarah was saying. He had chuckled, knowing that no matter how many dresses Mattie wore, or how much makeup was on her face, that she didn't find gossip and the latest women's fashions appealing. Mattie wasn't a priss, not that he was knocking Sarah. Mattie and Sarah were just two different people. Mattie had been raised around a bunch of guys, so she was bound to be tough. Sarah was raised like a woman, so she was bound to focus on feminine things. It was just the way they were raised, but they seemed to get along even if they were polar opposites.

"Hey, Jack." David called pushing his way through. "I'm thinking we should make a big speech."

"Good thinking Dave." Jack said. "Follow me."

Jack led David up onto the stage, Spot following suit even though he wasn't invited on stage. The place was loud, everyone speaking much louder than necessary. This is what Jack wanted. He wanted everyone to know what they stood for and that they were not going away. He waved his arms to get everyone to be quiet, and they were all a buzz to hear him speak. Of course, they weren't being quiet, and Jack was just about to yell when someone took the job for him.

"Hey! Everyone shut your traps so he can talk!" A female voice called. Jack squinted through the stage lights and caught sight of Mattie standing on her chair. He chuckled and waved to her. She gave him a thumbs up before returning to her seat. Everyone quieted down after her little outburst, not daring to speak too loud or face her wrath.

"Carryin' the Banner!" Jack yelled out. The place erupted into cheers again. Mattie shook her head sighing. There was no controlling a bunch of newsies.

"We've come a long way, but we aint' there yet! And maybe it's only gonna' get tougher from now on. But that's fine! We'll just get tougher with it. But also, also we gotta' get smart and start listening to my pal, David." Jack said. At the mention of David, Sarah broke out into a clapping fit. Mattie smiled at the fact that the Jacob's siblings had the upmost support for one another. It was like Mattie and her newsies. They were like her brothers and she would support them no matter what, and they would do the same.

"Who says, 'Stop soaking the scabs.'" Jack finished. The crowds scoffed, and made unhappy noises.

"What are we supposed to do to the bums, kiss 'em?" Race asked. Mattie, who was nearby, stood up and hit him in the back of the head. He glared but he didn't say anything. He was used to her abuse by now.

"Hey look, any scab I see, I soak 'em, period." Spot said. The crowds cheered once again. Mattie sighed trying her best to quiet them down. She knew that David was right. If they continued their violence, it would only make things worse. She was all for fighting, but she didn't want to hurt kids who were just trying to survive.

"No! That's what they want us to do. If we get violent, it's playing into their hands." David said trying to reason with them. It seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"They're gonna' be playing with my hands." Spot said, putting up his dukes. Its times like these that Mattie wanted to knock some sense, or at least a couple teeth, out of Spot.

"It aint' what they say, it's what we say." Spot continued. "Nobody aint' gonna' listen to us unless we make 'em."

More cheers chorused from the room. She looked around seeing that some were agreeing with David, while others agreed with Spot. They were exchanging words, most not worth repeating. Mattie looked up and met eyes with David. He shook his head, feeling defeated. He was giving up, and she saw that. She pushed her way to the front of the stage, hoisted up her dress and jumped up onto the wooden stage. She heard hoots and hollers as she made her way up, but she ignored them.

"Hey! Don't you get it?" She called. "This is what they want! We're starting to fight ourselves!"

"Mattie's right! They want to see us as we are! Street trash, street rats with no brains, no repect for nothin' including ourselves." Jack said coming up behind her. She fought back the shiver she felt as he looping his arm gently around her waist. She looked up at him, seeing the protective nature he was emitting.

"So here's how it is. If we don't act together, we're nothin'. If we don't stick together, can't trust each other, then we're nothin'." Jack continued, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Tell 'em Jack!" Blink called from the balcony.

"So, what's it gonna' be?" Jack asked. Several nods and 'We're with you, Jacks' were called. Jack looked down at Mattie and she nodded.

"Do you even have to ask?" She asked quietly. He smirked, tightening his hold on her. David nodded as well, and when the room became quiet Jack released his hold on Mattie and stood up into Spot's face.

"So what do you say Spot?" Jack asked. Spot stayed silent for a second, looking at all the other newsie's before looking back and Jack.

"I say, that what you say…" He said, a sneer on his face. However the sneer faded and was replaced with a smile. "Is what I say."

The place erupted into cheers again, when Spot and Jack spit shook. David shook his head, still thinking that this spit shaking thing was gross. Mattie laughed, seeing his reaction and nudged him. He blushed a light pink, but laughed along with her. Jack held up David and Spot's hands in the air saluting victory. Then music started playing. The whole place began singing, and dancing. Now that the work was over, it was time for some fun.

* * *

It had been an hour, and Mattie was already exhausted. She had danced with all of her boys, dancing with Race twice. She even danced with newsies from other places. They asked Sarah to dance, but she politely decined and David was giving death glares to any guy that even looked at Sarah. So Mattie was stuck being the girl to dance with. She knew she had probably sweated off her makeup, and whenever she got the chance she asked Sarah if she still looked okay. Jack ran around socializing, making more plans for the strike. Mattie didn't really mind, she knew he was busy. She just wished that she could get a bit more time with him.

"You must be exhausted." Sarah said when Mattie got a chance to sit down. She was out of breath, and sweating from her forehead. She took a napkin and dabbed at her forehead delicately. She tried her best not to wipe off any of her make up. She guessed that the bruise on her cheek might be showing through, but she couldn't care less about it. She had gotten so many comments on it saying she looked tough. She appreciated that, because they recognized that even though she was a girl, she could hold her own or die trying.

"These boys are dancing machines!" Mattie said once she caught her breath. Sarah giggled doing her best to fix Mattie's hair that had come loose. Mattie allowed her to fix it and was about to settle into her chair when she was hoisted up.

"Hey!" She complained to her assailant. She turned to find that it was Spot who had pulled her up.

"Got one more dance in ya'?" He asked, his cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Does it look like I have once more dance in me?" She glared and was moving to sit down but he stopped her.

"Come on, just one short little dance." He pleaded. Spot wasn't used to being told no, and honestly the only person he allowed to say no was Mattie. They weren't friends per say, but he trusted her and he knew deep down she trusted him too.

"Spot, I'm tired." Mattie complained. Spot rolled his eyes, he was beginning to get irritated.

"I gotta' talk to you." He said, firmly. His eyes flickered down to an interested Sarah. "Alone."

"Well, It's going to have to wait because I'm not-" She began, but he finally got enough leverage to pull her toward him and forced her out onto the dance floor.

"Dammit Spot!" She said. He boldly placed his one hand on her waist, and took her left hand into his. She glared at him as he began to sway with her in his arms.

"Now, we can talk." He said. She huffed, but eventually put her other hand on Spot's shoulder. She wasn't going to lie, Spot Conlon was a good dancer, but she wasn't fooled by him. He played that he was prince charming, but he was anything but.

"What is it Spot?" She asked irritated. He smirked at her tone.

"I have some information that you may find useful." He said. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him.

"I'm listening." She said. He chuckled again, before looking around. He couldn't see anyone who would actually find this information interesting around, so he felt it was safe to spill the beans.

"Earlier I saw Jack out on the fire escape." He said, like she should know what that meant.

"Okay?" She said, encouraging him to go on.

"He was deep in thought, like he was thinking about somethin' real important." He continued.

"What is this about Spot?" She asked, not understanding what he was getting at.

"If you would quit interptin' maybe I'd tell ya'." He said angrily. The two had a glare down, which Spot eventually won.

"So, Jack was thinking. So what? He has a lot of stuff on his mind." She shrugged. She didn't get why all of this was important. Spot was probably just pulling her leg and was just trying to piss her off. It was working.

"He's not just thinking about the strike girly." Spot said. Mattie opened her mouth to speak, but he covered her mouth. "He's thinking about a someone."

Mattie's eyebrows furrowed. Why was this important? And who was Jack thinking about? Her mind went to Sarah. Jack had said that morning that Sarah had woken him up. He said that they talked for a while before she left for work. What had they been talking about? Was she the 'someone' that Jack is supposedly thinking about? She felt her blood boil as her eyes flickered to where Sarah sat. She saw that Jack was now sitting there, where Mattie had originally been sitting. Right next to Sarah. She felt the green monster of jealousy creep up beside her. Jack said something to her and she laughed, and Mattie glared at the two. However, Jack then pulled away and said something to a passing newsie. She had to take into consideration that Spot may just be pulling her leg. However, Spot doesn't talk unless he knows something is for sure.

"It's not her." Spot said. Mattie looked back at the Brooklyn leader, trying to pull off the innocent look.

"I don't know what you mean." She said. Spot rolled his eyes before taking another step closer.

"You must be blind." He said staring into her eyes. Mattie said nothing, but she looked into Spot's cold eyes. For some reason, she wanted to spill her guts to him. She had held it in so long that she felt like she was about to explode. She knew Spot, and she knew that he wouldn't snitch on her. He wasn't a gossiper, and she honestly believed that he was telling her this to help her. She trusted Spot, at least with some things. She looked back over at Jack and sighed.

"No, he is." She whispered.


	17. The Rally Pt2

**I'm in the Newsie groove right now! Thank you my readers for your constant support. It really makes my day when I see a new review, favorite, or follow. **

**I do not own Newsies **

**Chapter 17**

"That's obvious." Spot grumbled. Mattie sighed again, looking back over to him.

"Spot, I don't-" She said but he cut her off.

"I couldn't give two shits what you want. I'm here to tell you that yall two are made for one another and-" Spot started, but she interrupted him.

"Spot! Stop. It's never going to happen. I've come to terms with that, and I'm okay with it." She blurted. Spot ran an angry hand through his hair before speaking again.

"You're really that stupid huh?" He asked. Mattie glared and shoved at him to get away but his hold on her tightened. She couldn't believe that just a few seconds ago he was trying to help her and now he was being a class A jerk. Suddenly he leaned into her and her eyes widened.

"What are you-" She began but he again cut her short.

"I've heard that jealousy is the best motivator." He whispered seductively as he closed the distance. Mattie practically squeaked when their lips met. She shoved on him, but he was stronger than her. His hold held firm on her waist, but she didn't stop. She fought the urge to kiss him back, and she also fought back the fact that she wanted to kill him. Using her right hand she smacked him in the back of the head, knocking his cap off. He pulled back as if she had burned him and held the back of his head.

"What the hell was that for?" He asked, bending down to pick up his cap. She didn't answer him right away, she reared back her fist and was about to connect it with his jaw when he captured her arm in his grasp.

"How dare you!" She said. Spot chuckled as he took another step closer to her. She was fuming, and if steam could come out of her ears he'd bet that there would be.

"You're welcome." He said in his usual cocky demeanor.

"Excuse me?" She asked, her anger growing.

"Check out Cowboy." Spot said nodding over her shoulder. He released her hand and she reluctantly turned around. Now standing from the chair he was sitting in a couple seconds ago, was Jack who looked just as angry as Mattie was. He was glaring over Mattie and at who she assumed was Spot. She furrowed her eyebrows. She turned back to find that Spot was already gone. She looked around but couldn't see him anywhere. She huffed, she would have to get him back later. She turned on her heel and headed back toward her table.

What she came back to was not what she was expecting. Sarah sat there he bottom lip between her teeth, and she was avoiding Mattie's gaze. David was staring at the table looking forlorn and slightly angry. Whereas Jack was still fuming. He pushed the chair out and took a few steps up to her. His eyes scanned over her, making sure Spot hadn't hurt her. His eyes then stopped on her lips and he swallowed hard.

"Jack-" Mattie began.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Mattie was stunned but nodded still. He nodded as well, and after one look over her again, he sat down. She stood there for a fraction of a second before she followed suit. What the hell was that? The table was silent until Medda came out on the stage. Mattie's eyes burned holes into Jack's head. He wasn't looking at her, or even acknowledging her presence. She didn't know how much he had saw but she didn't understand why he would be so upset.

"_High times, hard times_

_Sometimes the living is sweet_

_And sometimes there's nothing to eat_

_But I always land on my feet_

_So when there's dry times_

_I wait for high times and then_

_I put on my best_

_And I stick out my chest_

_And I'm off to the races again!" _Medda sang beautifully. The boys all cheered for Medda as she danced across the stage, but Mattie wasn't watching. She was still staring holes in Jack's head.

"Hello, newsies? What's new?" Medda called. Everyone cheered once again. Everyone loved Medda. All the boys were star stuck as they watched her.

"_So your old lady don't love you no more_

_So you're afraid there's a wolf at your door_

_So you got street rats that scream in your ear" _She continued. That was when Jack got an idea. Seeing Spot kiss Mattie had brought something out of him. Something that he didn't like. So, he turned to Sarah.

"_You win some, you lose some, my dear!_

_Oh, high times, hard times_

_Sometimes the living is sweet" _Everyone sang, but Jack was singing to Sarah, and she sat there drinking everything in. Mattie took in a shaky breath as she watched the two. She swallowed back her tears though. She didn't know why Jack was so upset with her, but it was obvious who he was thinking about. Spot had been mistaken, and he had given her false hope. She knew he hadn't meant to, and even though she was upset with him, she knew that he had only been trying to help. Now, as she watched Jack sing romantically to Sarah she felt her heart shatter. She stood, and quickly walked away, not being able to take it anymore.

"_And sometimes there's nothing to eat_

_But I always land on my feet"_ Jack watched her leave, with a heavy heart. He didn't know what he expected to feel, but he didn't imagine to feel this bad. He wanted to go after her. He wanted to grab her and hold her until the world ended. He wanted to tell her how much he cared. Then again, when he saw Spot and Mattie kissing, he felt such a bitter anger in him that he didn't want to care so much. He didn't want to feel this ever again. He didn't want to fall in love with her.

"_So when there's dry times_

_I wait for high times and then_

_I put on my best_

_And I stick out my chest_

_And I'm off to the races again!"_ Everyone sang. Mattie pushed through, trying to get as far away from the scene as possible. She really wanted to be alone. However she caught sight of someone, she never thought she would see.

"_I put on my best_

_And I stick out my chest_

_And I'm off_

_And I'm off_

_And I'm off to the races again!" _The song finished. Everyone was happily cheering, and dancing. Medda was lifted up high for everyone to see. Mattie couldn't cheer though. She was running back the way she came. She had to get to Jack before someone else did. As she was running, Denton caught a glimpse of her. She was obviously worried. He reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm. She was taken by surprise, but relaxed a bit when she saw it was Denton.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Mattie looked around frantically for any sign of Jack before speaking.

"Snyder's here. And if he catches Jack…." She trailed off. Denton nodded understanding.

"I'll distract him, you get Jack." Denton said. Mattie nodded before taking off into the crowd again. When she saw the bushy hair of David, she figured that she would start there.

"David!" She called. He turned to see Mattie practically plowing into him. He caught her awkwardly, and holding her steady. He looked down a confused smile on his face, but his smile disappeared when he saw her face. He girpped her shoulders tightly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's Snyder. He's here." Mattie told him. David felt his adrenaline rush. He had to find Jack. He took hold of Mattie's hand and tugged her through the crowd. He helped her through until he saw him. Mattie did too, so she pushed past everyone and grabbed a hold of him. Jack looked down surprised by her sudden reaction. David wasn't far behind her.

"What?" He asked, still not happy with her. However, the look on her face told him that he should listen to her.

"It's Snyder." Mattie yelled over the noise. Jack couldn't believe his ears.

"What?" He repeated. David stood up on the stage, squishing Mattie in between the two boys.

"Snyder! He's right there!" David said pointing to the man in the tie and hat who was trying desperately to get away from Denton. Jack felt his heart leap when Snyder laid eyes on him. Jack did the first thing his instincts told him to. He grabbed a hold of Mattie and didn't let go. He pulled her through the crowds as she tried desperately to keep up. They heard Snyder blow his whistle, but neither of them stopped. Then they heard multiple whistles, and Mattie looked over her shoulder to see the police coming in.

"It's the bulls!" Mattie called over the noise. She was terrified. Terrified for Jack. Terrified for the other newsies. And she was terrified for herself. She didn't want to go back to the orphanage. And she didn't want to go to some factory. The thought of being in jail also crossed her mind. She wished that she could go back and die, maybe none of this would happen. But she couldn't change the past. She could only run, and pray to God that everything turned out right.

As they made their long run, David grabbed Les and Sarah, telling them to hurry. They had to get out of there. Les wouldn't survive in the refuge, and Sarah couldn't get in trouble either. Everyone's safety was on the line. They saw an opening for an escape, and David shoved Sarah and Les through the curtain. Jack was about to do the same to Mattie but she gripped his jacket so tight that he thought she might rip it.

"You need to go." Jack said to her frantically.

"I'm not leaving you." She replied stubbornly. Jack huffed, trying desperately to get her to release her hold on him. He had to protect her, and she was making it damn hard for him to do it.

"If you don't let go, I swear to God Mattie-" Jack started, but when she was ripped from him he stopped. Spot had a hold of her and wasn't letting go. She was fighting from his grip. She couldn't let Jack go into this alone.

"I got her. Go!" Spot ordered. Jack nodded, sending one last look at Mattie before running the opposite way. David followed close behind, knowing he had to help anyway he could. Mattie let out a scream, something she didn't know she was capable of. She fought and kicked at Spot but he wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"God dammit Spot! Let me go!" She commanded. He only turned her around so she was facing him. She spit right in his face but he only spit right back at her.

"Cut it out alright!" Spot commanded. Mattie whipped the saliva off her face in disgust. Spot did the same but he pinned her against a wall, making it impossible for her escape.

"I have to help him." She said with such intensity that he was tempted to let her go. But Spot knew better.

"You will be helping if you get your ass out of here." He replied. She winced at his tone but continued to glare at him.

"I don't-" Mattie started.

"If you go out there, guess who Jack's going to be thinking of. You! And if he's thinking of you guess who's going back to the refuge. Jack! He needs to think of his safety right now. Not yours! You go out there and it's a 100% chance that he's going back to that damn refuge. So, you are going to get out of here now, and make sure Dave's brother and sister are safe. You got it?" Spot shouted angrily at her. She paused considering his words. She hated to admit it, but Spot was right. She was being selfish, and Sarah and Les had no idea how to get out of here. She had to get out, to make sure that everyone stayed safe.

"Take care of him." She told Spot. He nodded before stepping back and releasing her from the wall. She took a deep breath before sneaking through the curtain. She found Sarah and Les wandering around scared and confused. She took the lead, showing them the secret passages to get out. Thank God they got out when they did, because the place was swarming with cops. Sarah said that she couldn't leave without David, but Mattie gave her a similar speech that Spot had given her just seconds ago. Sarah and Les reluctantly went with Mattie back to their apartment.

When they arrived, both Jacob kids told their parents the whole story. Of course their mother was worried sick about David, but Mattie reassured her that he would be fine. They waited and waited for what seemed like ever. The apartment was silent, except for Mrs. Jacob's constant offerings of different food or drink items for Mattie. She politely declined, not feeling up to food at that moment.

She felt sick, like at any moment she could violently lose her lunch. She was so worried about them all. Even the ones that she didn't know well. Everyone was in danger, and she for some reason felt that she was at fault. She already felt guilty about Jack being put in the refuge, and thinking back, if Jack hadn't been sent to the refuge, maybe Snyder wouldn't have felt the need to get the police involved. Everyone that she loved and cared for were in danger because of her. Maybe if she would have died faster when she was eleven, none of this would have happened.

"Hey guys." A weary voice called from the door. Mattie turned around and her breath hitched at the sight of David. He looked fine over all, just tired. His mother squealed running over and enveloping him into her arms. She squeezed him so tight that Mattie swore he wasn't breathing, but he didn't seem to care. He was safe and with his family, that was all that mattered. Mr. Jacobs scolded David, but in the end he used his free arm to hug the boy. After the family had settled, David looked to the middle of the room where Mattie stood. She was still in her dress, but her hair had fallen and all of her makeup was practically gone. She looked like a wreck, with the worried face and anxious bouncing. They stared at one another for a while before she ran and hugged him. She was happy that he was alright, but there was something else on her mind.

"Where's Jack?" She whispered, so low that only he could hear. He pulled back slightly looking down at her. When he didn't speak, he could see on her face she thought the worst. She was right. The worst had happened. She knew this, and she could feel the prick of tears in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, fighting the tears begging to stroll down her cheeks.

"Mattie-" David began. He wanted to help her, console her. He wanted to be her shoulder to cry on.

"I need some air." She said, releasing her hold on David and making her way quickly onto the fire escape. David moved to follow, but his father caught his arm.

"Leave her be. She needs to be alone now, son." He told him. David was apprehensive at first, but soon made himself comfortable in a chair. She needed time, and he would give it to her. Because she was worth it.

* * *

Once Mattie was outside, she let the tears flow. She struggled holding back the sobs that erupted from her mouth. She couldn't believe that Jack had been caught. She knew that it could happen, but she wished that it hadn't. She wished that she could have saved him. She would have gladly taken the fall for him. She would take the fall for murder if that meant keeping him safe. She loved him so much that right now her heart was aching, just thinking about him being in the refuge. The guilt was eating her alive, and her love for him was destroying her bit by bit. She wanted to get over him, she did. She tried, she tried so hard that she thought she might kill herself. She had failed. She had failed him, and she had failed herself.

She took in a shaky breath as she eased herself into a sitting position. Just this morning she and Jack were sleeping out her. She couldn't believe how far away that felt. It felt light years away. She was exhausted, and she could feel herself drifting into sleep, but she forced herself awake. She couldn't sleep knowing that Jack wasn't allowed to sleep in his own bed tonight. She needed to talk to David, she needed answers. But she couldn't bring herself to go back in there. She couldn't face them looking this way. It was okay to be vulnerable sometimes, but she was never allowed to be weak. She wasn't that kind of girl. She couldn't let them see her cry. Crying to her was weakness, and weakness she could never show.

She sat out there for a long time, thinking. She thought about the boys, the strike, her mother, David, Sarah, but mostly Jack. She couldn't keep her mind off of him. She tried, oh boy, she tried. She couldn't think of anything else. She had stopped crying, but she felt completely numb. She just stared up at the night sky and wished that things would go right for her. Wherever she went, danger followed. She had known that from the start, and yet she still brought everyone she cared about down. Maybe she should have died on that night, or maybe not born at all. The world would be a better place without her.

"Mattie?" A voice said. She knew who it was. She didn't respond or even acknowledge his presence. David stepped out onto the fire escape slowly, and carefully. He thought at one moment, she could snap. All of her emotions that had been bottled up would come flooding out with one false move. He sat across from her, looking her over. She looked completely emotionless. She was hard to read, but now it was worse.

"Is it okay if I tell you what happened?" He asked. For two agonizing minutes, he waited. He waited for some kind of sign that she was alright. When she finally nodded, a slow, tiny movement, he let out a breath of relief. He then began to tell her what had happened after they had forced her to leave behind the love of her life so he could be fed to the lions.


	18. On My Own

**This is probably going to be my favorite chapter. Okay so the song 'On My Own' will be featured in this chapter. If you would like to see Samantha Barks (Who I imagine as Mattie) sing this in the Les Miserables movie, just go to YouTube and type Samantha Barks On My Own movie scene. It should come up. I will also link it to my Tumblr. **

**I do not own Newsies, or the song 'On My Own' from the beautiful musical Les Miserables**

**Chapter 18**

Mattie listened in silence as David told her the story. He told her that Jack and the boys fought hard to get him out of there. He had gone through so many bulls that everyone believed he would actually make it out. However, one punch to the jaw and Jack was caught. Mattie had shivered when David carefully told her that Jack had been punched in the face, most likely giving him a black eye. He knew that she hated to hear he was hurt, but as long as he was alive that was all that mattered.

The bulls caught Jack, and all the boys. David was lucky because Denton had grabbed him at the last second, hiding him and taking him home. The boys were being held at the court house until the trial the next morning. That was all David knew, but he offered to take Mattie with him to the trial. She agreed, using one word answers to answer his questions. He thanked her for getting his family home safe, and keeping his family company while he was gone. She had responded that she would do anything for him and his family.

"We're family now David." She said. He was shocked at the sudden sentence. "We're in this together."

David nodded, now he was the one who was speechless. Mattie forced a smile to him. She wasn't lying, she cared about David like her own brother. Over the short amount of time they knew one another, she had grown fond of him and his constant worries. She just had no idea how he ultimately felt about her. The two sat there for a long time before Mattie finally stood. David scrambled up himself so he could be at her height. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted to keep her safe. She gave him a weak smile, thanking him for everything he had done.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" He offered. She shook her head.

"Kloppman will be worried sick." She replied. David nodded sadly. She responded by giving him a tight squeeze, and a small kiss on the cheek. He blushed at the gesture and found his stomach doing flips.

"If you need anything, just come here." He said.

"Thank you David. For everything." She said, heading for the stairs. He nodded and waved a goodbye to her. She waved as well, slowly taking the stairs. He watched her, fighting the urge to bring her back into the apartment. He wanted to protect her, but she didn't want his protection. He wondered if this was how Jack felt on a regular basis.

"David?" A small voice said. David turned to see Sarah standing on the fire escape. He hadn't even heard her come out. He must have been dazed.

"Yeah Sarah?" David replied. Sarah gestured to Mattie.

"Is she okay?" She asked quietly, making sure Mattie wouldn't be able to hear.

"She will be. I'll make sure of it." David said, using as much determination as he could muster. Sarah sighed, not speaking until she couldn't hear Mattie's footsteps anymore.

"Be careful." She said. David's eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you talking about?" David asked.

"I see the way you look at her David. And I'm sorry to tell you this but, she doesn't look that way at you." Sarah said. David felt his stomach flip once more. He hadn't really paid much attention to how Mattie acted around him. He had only focused how he acted around her. Then his blood boiled started to boil.

"You don't know what you're talking about Sarah." He said heading for the window. She stopped him, standing right in front of him, blocking the window.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." She said. "I won't say I told you so when things end badly."

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine. Mattie's fine." David replied.

"All I'm saying is be careful." She told him.

David stayed quiet as Sarah ducked into the window. He looked down at the street where he could see Mattie's retreating form. Maybe he should give it up. It would be a long shot for her to love him anyway. Maybe Sarah was right. However, he couldn't just change his feelings with a snap of his fingers. These things took time, and while he was waiting he would do everything he could to change her mind.

* * *

The streets were quiet. No one was out this late, and if they were, they were on their way home. Mattie walked in the middle of the street, taking small steps to get home. She didn't want to go somewhere that only reminded her of her boys. It was too painful. So she took her sweet time as she took the long trek back to the lodging house. Suddenly she heard a loud thunder clap. She stopped in her tracks, looking up at the sky. A small raindrop hit her cheek. She stayed there, frozen as she felt the rain hit her face. She spread her arms out and she closed her eyes, letting the rain soak her.

On a normal day she would have ran for shelter, but right now, she didn't care. The rain felt good against her numb skin. The rain made her think of her fantasies. Her fantasy of living in a big house with a white picket fence. She dreamed of living there with Jack, her loving husband. She dreamed of having kids, three tough little girls. She dreamed that she had the perfect life, something she never had or was used to. She dreamed of seeing her mother again. She dreamed of one day meeting her father. Most of all she dreamed of being happy. Only when she was alone, could she let these dreams flow. The boys would think she was crazy if she told them these dreams. They were too farfetched, and unattainable. But that was what made them so fun to dream about.

She dreamed of Jack, one day realizing that he loved her. She dreamed that he would sweep her off her feet and love her as much as she loved him. She dreamed that they would get married, and he would take her to Santa Fe with him. She dreamed that they could live in peace without ever having to fear Snyder, hunger, or Pulitzer. Jack wasn't the only one who dreamed.

"_On my own_

_Pretending he's beside me_

_All alone_

_I walk with him till morning_

_Without him_

_I feel his arms around me_

_And when I lose my way I close my eyes_

_And he has found me" _She wrapped her arms around herself as she sang. No one was around to hear it, and she liked it that way. The rain had started to pick up, and she could feel her hair and dress begin to stick to her. She continued to take small steps as she continued her sorrows.

"_In the rain the pavement shines like silver_

_All the lights are misty in the river_

_In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight_

_And all I see is him and me forever and forever" _She smiled to herself, imagining the life they would have together. Then her nightmare popped into her head. The image of Jack leaving without her made a lump form in her throat.

" _And I know it's only in my mind_

_That I'm talking to myself and not to him_

_And although I know that he is blind_

_Still I say, there's a way for us" _She fought back the tears that were forming. She walked on to the side walk where there were shop awnings. The rain felt like needles on her skin now.

"_I love him_

_But when the night is over_

_He is gone_

_The river's just a river_

_Without him_

_The world around me changes_

_The trees are bare and everywhere_

_The streets are full of strangers" _She could feel the tears streaming from her face, but she continued, letting every single emotion she had kept bottled up out.

"_I love him_

_But every day I'm learning_

_All my life_

_I've only been pretending_

_Without me_

_His world will go on turning_

_A world that's full of happiness_

_That I have never known" _She had begun panting now, sobbing and letting her tears flow. She had never felt so vulnerable in such a long time. She could see the lodging house and swallowed. She would have to face it sometime. Better sooner than later.

"_I love him_

_I love him_

_I love him_

_But only on my own" _She finished her soliloquy with a sigh. She wiped at her face, trying hard to make her seem normal again. She would have to face Kloppman, and then she could be as weak as she wanted to. She took a deep breath before entering the building. Kloppman was pacing around his desk, with worry. When he heard the door open he turned quickly. Upon seeing Mattie the old man rushed to her and pulled her into a hug. Mattie wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face into his chest. At that moment, she really did need a hug. She needed a sense of safety and security. She needed comfort. She would never admit it because of her pride, but she really did need a friend.

"Where the hell have you been? Where are the boys? Do you know how late it is? What-" Kloppman rushed his questions, confusing Mattie. She held up her hands.

"One question at a time Klopp." She said. The old man took a breath before he spoke again.

"Where is everyone?" He asked. Mattie swallowed before she went into the whole story of what happened. Kloppman listened intently, taking in every word she said. He felt a pit of worry in his stomach. He had never had this place completely empty, and now his 'children' were in cells at the courthouse not knowing what to do.

"Are you alright?" He asked Mattie.

"I'm fine." She replied. He didn't push her any further. He could see that she was tired, so he ordered her to go to bed. She gladly complied. She headed up the stairs, careful not to trip on her dress and ruin it further. She went into her bedroom and changed, feeling better in dry clothes. She went to the washroom and washed any trace of makeup off her face and let her hair down. Staring at herself in the mirror she realized just how terrible she looked. She looked miserable. She had worry lines on her forehead and her mouth was pulled down into a scowl. She had never seen herself this way, and she didn't like it. She didn't like that Jack and all of her boys were being kept somewhere other than their home.

She sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair and headed out of the washroom. She was about to walk into her bedroom so she may get any sleep she could, but she dreaded sleeping in there. Her eyes then travelled to the bunk room. She swallowed walking past her bedroom and into the bunk room. It was weird seeing it completely empty. None of the boys beds were made, and their things were scattering the floor. She took a deep breath before walking past several bunks, stopping at the one she desired. She stared at Jack's bunk for a second before climbing up into it.

She covered herself with his blanket and breathed in deeply. She could still smell him on the bed. He was everywhere in this bunk. It gave her a small sense of security, making her believe that he would be okay. She closed her eyes covering everything but her face in the blanket. Maybe she could sleep better here than she would in her own bed.

* * *

The courthouse was cramped, more cramped than it had ever been. The newsie boys were all trying to find any space to sleep. They all grumbled to themselves, but none of them spoke. They didn't want the guards to hear their conversations, and honestly none of them had much to say. They were all pretty upset how things had gone down. They were supposed to be having fun, fighting for a good cause, but as it turns out that was never in the cards. However, the didn't regret helping Jack out.

Jack was in his own cell, Snyder saying that he didn't want him to have any chance of escape. He was leaning against the wall, his thumbs playing a beat on his knees. This was the only way he could keep himself from punching a wall. He was angry, for getting caught, for getting everyone else involved, but mostly how he acted to Mattie beforehand.

When he saw Spot kissing her, something had clicked inside of him. He was jealous, that he wasn't the one dancing with her, kissing her. He wanted to knock Spot's lights out. He knew he shouldn't though. Maybe Mattie had wanted to kiss him. If she did, Jack wouldn't be able to stop her, even though it killed him inside. Then there was the conversation with Spot before the rally. If that was his way of warning him that he was going to move in on her, it was a terrible wake up call. Jack looked at Spot who was leaning on the bars of one of the cells. Jack sent him a bone chilling glare. Spot felt eyes on him, so he turned. Seeing Jack's glare he scoffed to himself.

"What?" Spot asked irritated. He was already in jail, what else could be a problem? Jack's fists clenched.

"You know what." Jack said menacingly.

"Actually I don't, so why don't ya' tell me instead of just looking at me like that?" Spot challenged. Jack wished so much that he could get out of that cell and beat Spot's head in. He wanted so badly to beat him and become Mattie's hero. He wanted her so badly.

"You're a lying piece of shit you know that?" Jack spat. Spot chuckled to himself.

"A piece of shit? Maybe. A liar? Hell no." Spot shook his head. It was Jack's turn to scoff. He wanted to scream to the heavens that Mattie was his, and no one was to touch her. If anyone did, they would have Jack to deal with. But he couldn't. Mattie wasn't his, not officially. She didn't even know how he felt, and Jack didn't plan on telling her, at least not anytime soon.

"Just stay away from her." He said vaguely. Spot watched Jack intensely. Even with the vagueness of his words, he knew exactly what Jack meant. He laughed to himself again. He knew his little plan would work. Now, Jack knew that he wasn't the only one who could get into Mattie's head. That was Spot's whole idea. If he pissed Jack off enough, it may have just given Jack the motivation to actually make a move. Poor Mattie had been in love with him for years, trying her best to keep it hidden, but Spot saw right through it. And now he saw through Jack's 'protective brother' act.

"You're the liar Cowboy." Spot said, causing Jack to become confused. "You lie to yourself."

Jack swallowed, not knowing what else to say. He was stuck, because he should have been angry with Spot, but he could see what Spot was saying. Spot wasn't stupid, maybe he never had a real relationship, or real feelings toward a girl, but he could see that Jack's feelings for Mattie were changing. Jack was lying to himself every day of his life. He just couldn't bring himself to come to terms with the feelings he had for Mattie. He couldn't tell her, or anyone for that matter. It would be too painful if things didn't work out, or if she rejected him. He couldn't take rejection from her. But Spot was right. He was lying to himself, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had to hold on to any normalcy on his life anymore, and falling in love with Mattie was not normal. He was no good for her. She could do much better than him. She could have a good life, something that he couldn't provide. All he could provide was suffering, heartbreak, and a life of running. Jack sighed to himself, beating his head against the wall. Why were girls so confusing?


	19. The Trial

**I love reviews! Thank you everyone! This story is turning out longer than I had originally expected. It makes me happy!**

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 19**

The next morning, Mattie was woken up by Kloppman. He said he had let her sleep in because of her getting home late. She thanked him, going to get ready. Her eyes were red and puffy from her crying the night before and her hair was a mess. Kloppman said nothing about her appearance, just send her a smile of encouragement.

She went to the washroom, not too shocked by how she looked. She did what she could, but she still looked terrible. She looked tired and sad, just down right miserable. She wanted to just crawl back into Jack's bed and stay there all day, but she knew she would have to get ready. She had to be there for the trial; maybe they would let them off with a warning. She doubted it, but she still had to hope. She hadn't given up on him yet. Jack was good at talking himself out of situations. She just prayed that he could do it today.

She tried her best to get the tangles from her crow's nest of hair, but she ended up tying it up with a small piece of yarn. She grabbed her cap, knowing that she would have to disguise herself. If Snyder recognized her, things would get worse, and she didn't think she could handle any worse. She trekked down the stairs. Kloppman had made her breakfast, even though it wasn't much. She appreciated it and ate what she could. She still felt sick to her stomach, and she didn't want to throw up in the court house.

She waited for what seemed like ever until David and Les came to get her. Mattie said goodbye to Kloppman, promising that she would come back. The three then began their journey to the courthouse. No one spoke. It was surreal, thinking that they weren't being accompanied by the large group of newsies. It made a lump form in Mattie's throat. She looked to David, who didn't look much better than she did.

David hadn't slept much either, thinking way too much about this trial and how he was going to get his friends out. He also thought of what Sarah had said. _Be careful. _He didn't want to think about how much of a long shot it would be for Mattie not to love him. He had to try, and try he would. He had dark circles under his bright blue eyes, and his curly hair was slightly a mess. Les was better off than both of them. David had kept most of the story away from the little brother, but Les knew something was up. He wasn't stupid, and he was worried about the newsies and Jack as much as anyone else.

When they reached the courthouse, Mattie threw her ponytail into her cap and made it a point to hide behind David as much as possible. The gates at the front were closed, and guards were posted at it. They were still able to see and hear, but they weren't able to get inside. David looked over the crowds forming outside of the door, they were newsies who hadn't gotten caught and curious street rats. David's eyes scanned the front of the crowd and when he saw Denton, he pushed Les forward and pulled Mattie behind him. When they reached the front, Denton smiled weakly, but gestured for them to remain silent. The trial was already starting. The bailiff was calling everyone to order and naming the judge. Mattie looked over David's shoulder to see all the boys crowded around the judge's desk. She felt her heart leap at the sight of them being safe, but it dropped when she couldn't find Jack anywhere.

"Are any of you represented by counsel?" The judge asked. Mattie held back a scoff. Where in the hell would a bunch of newsboys get enough cash for an attorney? The boys grumbled no's and shook their heads.

"No. Good, good. That'll move things along considerably." The judge continued.

"Your Honor, I object." Spot's voice reigned through the courthouse. Mattie tensed. What in the world would he have to say?

"On what grounds?" The judge asked.

"On the grounds of Brooklyn." Spot replied, receiving several laughs from the boys. David scoffed to himself. Mattie rolled her eyes, wanting to smack him to badly.

"Dumb ass." Mattie mumbled. If anyone would back talk a judge it would be Spot. The judge obviously didn't find his joke funny, because his sentencing was pretty brutal.

"I fine each of you $5.00, or two weeks confinement in the house of refuge." The judge said. Mattie's heart dropped into her stomach. Where would any of them get five dollars? She didn't want them going to the refuge. None of them deserved to be there. No one deserved to be there, and she knew that she couldn't break all of them out.

"Whoa. Hey, we aint' got five bucks." Racetrack said, outraged at the sentencing. "We don't even got five cents. Your Honor, how 'bout I roll you for it? Double or nothing."

Mattie huffed to herself. If they didn't stop talking the judge was going to make it worse. She couldn't believe that the judge sided with Snyder, Pulitzer, and everyone else they were against. It was as if the world wanted them to fail. They wanted them to give up for something they believed in. The British had wanted the revolutionist's to give up. They wanted them to fall on their faces, but did they? No. They fought for what was right and what they believed in. How were they any different than the colonists? The newsie's couldn't give up. None of this was fair, none of this was right. But then again, when was the world every fair?

"Move along, move along." The judge said with a wave of his hand. He didn't want this rabble in his courtroom any longer.

"Your Honor, I'll pay the fines, all of them." Denton said pushing through the doors and taking David, Les, and Mattie with him. The newsies called for them, being excited that they were safe. Mattie rushed up to them grabbing hold of the gate they were behind.

"Fellas, you all right?" David asked. Mattie was still hiding but she greeted the boys, making sure they were okay. They had bumps and bruises, but over all they looked fine.

"Where's Jack?" Mattie asked, however she didn't get an answer, because Denton spoke first.

"Look, we got to meet at the restaurant. Everybody. We have to talk." Denton said. Mattie didn't like his tone. She narrowed her eyes at Denton, being the only one who caught his grave tone. He looked to her and smiled weakly, but she wasn't buying it. She was about to call him out when the judge told Denton to pay up.

"Hey, fellas!" A voice said. Mattie turned on her heel so quick, her cap almost fell off. She saw Jack being pushed through a door, his wrists in handcuffs. The place erupted into joyous cheers. Jack looked over all the boys, he hadn't seen them since the night before, then they were separated that morning. He caught sight of David, Les, and Denton seeing they were all fine. Then he saw Mattie. Her hair was up inside her cap, her signature look for trying to look like a man. Even as a boy she looked good. He shook his head, shoving those thoughts from his mind. He then noticed the worry lines creasing her forehead, and the dark circles under her eyes. She must not have slept much more than he had. He hated that she was worrying about him, and he fought the urge to go to her.

"Hey Denton, I guess we made all the papes this time. How'd my picture look?" Jack asked, still trying to make this whole court business not a big deal. He didn't want to worry anyone, especially Mattie. By the look on her face, she was as nervous as could be. She was hidden behind David, so that no one would be able to recognize her. Jack appreciated that, because he could take any beating, sentence, or warden but if something happened to her, he didn't know what he would do.

"None of the papers covered the rally, not even 'The Sun.'" Denton said. Jacks eyebrows furrowed and he was about to ask 'why the hell not' when he was interrupted by the clerk.

"Case of Jack Kelly. Inciting to riot, assault, resisting arrest." The clerk spoke. Mattie held back the laugh she wanted to let out. They hadn't done anything wrong; the police came in there beating on them. The newsies were only using self-defense.

"Judge Monahan, I'll speak for this young man." Warden Snyder said, coming out of nowhere. Mattie tensed as she hid further behind David. All Snyder could do was hurt them. Mattie didn't hate a lot of people but she hated Snyder with all of her being.

"You two know each other, aint' that nice." Jack grumbled. He had no shot of weaseling his way out of this. If Snyder and the Judge were in cahoots, no one had a chance.

"This boys real name is Francis Sullivan." Snyder said, staring directly at Jack. David had looked up with such disappointment it made Jack swallow hard. "His mother's deceased, his father's a convict in the state penitentiary. He's an escapee from the house of refuge…"

David glared at Jack. He had lied to him, and David had trusted him. He always kind of knew that Jack was hiding something, but he didn't think that he would take on a whole new identity. He looked over his shoulder at Mattie who looked away. He set his jaw. She knew everything too. She kept things from him too. He couldn't believe he had trusted both of them.

"His original sentence was for three months, was extended to six months, for disruptive behavior." Snyder continued. Jack glared at the old man, knowing that he was full of it.

"Like demanding we eat the food you steal from us!" Jack said angrily.

"Followed by an additional six months for attempted escape." Snyder told the judge.

"Attempted? Last time wasn't an attempted escape. Remember me and Teddy Roosevelt and the carriage?" Jack asked, still trying to keep up his good name. All of his lies were coming back down on him. Everything was exploding around him, and he couldn't find any way of saving himself. Mattie felt her heart break as he tried to fix things. She knew the truth, she always had. But no one else did. As the newsies looked around trying to figure out what was going on, she could tell that they didn't want to believe what they were hearing. However, all signs pointed to Jack was lying through his teeth.

"I ask he be returned to the house of refuge." Snyder asked the judge.

"Away for my own good, right, move along? For my own good, and what he kicks back to you." Jack was furious. He hated this man, more than he hated anyone on this earth. He had screwed him over countless times, making his happiness just out of his reach. He had made it impossible to have a normal life. To have normal friends. He had put Mattie in danger. The man cared for no one but himself, and he made Jack sick.

"And that the court order his incarceration until the age of 21, in the hope that we may yet guide him to a useful and productive life." Snyder finished his 'heart-warming' speech. You could cut the tension with a knife. Mattie felt her stomach clench up. She knew that if Jack was back in the refuge, there was no way Snyder would let him out of his sight. She knew that she wouldn't see him until he was twenty-one. She couldn't wait that long. The other boys didn't want Jack to be put away either. Even though he had lied, Jack was their friend, their leader, and they couldn't let him rot in the refuge.

"So ordered." The judge said smacking his gavel down.

"No!" Mattie shrieked. David quickly hid her completely behind him, so no one could see her. They had already lost Jack, they couldn't lose Mattie. She buried her face in his back, trying her best not to scream. Jack was glaring at Snyder, and the only time he looked away was when he looked toward Mattie. She looked up, catching his gaze. He sent her a longing, apologetic look, before he was taken away from her sight. She swallowed, gripping onto David's jacket. She didn't feel right. She thought she would fall over if she didn't hold onto something. David put his arm around her, holding her steady. She wouldn't cry, she couldn't. Les looked up at her and took her hand. He felt for her, because the small boy knew that she cared about Jack. She tried to smile at him, but her emotions failed her. She was breaking inside.

* * *

When they reached the restaurant, Mattie found a chair and stayed there. The boys tried to talk to her, but she was frozen. David was worried; she was like this last night. She didn't move, she didn't speak, she didn't eat. It was like she was in some sort of trance, and he was worried. He worried about her, Jack, the strike. He didn't know what was going to happen now that Jack wasn't much use to them. He paced around Tibby's the newest addition of 'The Sun' in his hand. He was angry that they hadn't printed the story. He didn't understand why they didn't, and he didn't know where the hell Denton was. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

He looked to Mattie again. Les was sitting in front of her. He must have managed to get her to unfreeze, because she cracked a smile at something he said. David could see on his brother's face that he was proud of himself for getting her to respond. The other boys were crowded around tables trying to cheer each other up. They weren't going to the refuge, so that was good. However, they found that their friend lied to them, and was now being held in the refuge for a long while. Needless to say they weren't too happy about the situation, but they were trying to be.

"Hey Denton!" Someone said. David, turned seeing Denton walk in. Mattie did the same, her body completely out of its trance. Like David, she wanted answers. David walked over to him and slapped the paper down on the table.

"Why didn't 'The Sun' print the story?" David asked angrily.

"Because it never happened." Denton replied. That was followed by several outraged sentences and mumbles.

"What do you mean it never happened? You were there?" Race said outraged.

"If it's not in the papers, it never happened. The owners decreed that is not be in the papers therefore…" He trailed off. "Anyway, I came to tell you fellas good-bye."

The newsies said nothing, they just looked around angry and confused. Mattie stood then and went up to Denton. She stood between him and David and looked up at him worried.

"What happened? Did you get fired?" She asked. She had hoped that he being involved with them hadn't cost him his job. She knew he loved to write, and he was good at what he did. She wouldn't want anyone to lose something they loved for her.

"No, I got reassigned, back to my old job as 'The Sun's' ace war correspondent. They want me to leave right away. The owner thinks I should only cover the really important stories." Denton said, quoting his boss. Mattie looked up at him sorrowfully. She knew he wasn't happy about this, he had always been on their side.

"Yep, well, wish me luck fellas, at least half of what I wish for you." Denton said. Mattie nodded and watched as the ex-writer of 'The Sun' looked over her shoulder. She turned also to see David leaning against a beam looking very confused and forlorn.

"They don't always fire you David." He said stepping around Mattie and going toward him. "I would be blackballed from every paper in the country."

David still didn't turn around. He was angry, upset, confused, every single emotion he could think of he felt. Denton was a role model to him, and it seemed to David that he was quitting. He was quitting because he was scared. Denton was a coward for not sticking up for what was right. He trusted him, they all trusted him.

"Hey." Denton said making David turn around. "I'm a newspaperman. I have to have a paper to write for."

David didn't speak, he only looked at Denton with such anger in his eyes, Denton faltered from what he was going to say. Denton didn't like doing this, in fact he hated it. He wanted to help, but he couldn't survive without a job. Even if he found another job, it would be writing, which is what he loves to do. He wanted to help the newsies more than anything, but he had to think of himself sometime.

"This is uh, the story I wrote about the rally. And… I want you to read it, at least." Denton said, handing the paper to David. He had to practically force David to take it. Denton paid for the newsies meals, as he was leaving. Denton stopped at the door and looked at all of their saddened faces. It made it so much harder to leave them. He especially hated that he had hurt David. He saw so much of himself in David, it killed him to have failed him. Mattie walked up to him and placed her hand on his arm.

"Thank you, for everything." She said. Denton nodded, looking back at David. Mattie did too. She felt sorry for everyone. She wasn't the only one struggling with all of this. "He'll come around."

Denton looked down at her and nodded. He hoped he would. He hoped they all would be okay. Without Jack, and now without Denton, they didn't know what to do. David pushed himself off the wall angrily, and balled the article in his fist. Denton nodded once more, before leaving the restaurant. Mattie sighed closing the door behind Denton. The whole place was quiet, the newsies were down on their luck. They were giving up. David could see it in their faces. No one knew what to do. Without Jack, and Denton, they were nothing. David looked over his shoulder at Mattie. She was watching him intently, the fire in her eyes had been rekindled. As they watched one another they had a silent conversation. This wasn't over, it was far from over.

"We get Jack out of the refuge tonight." David said, breaking the silence. "From now on, we trust no one but the newsies."

"Yeah!" The boys agreed. Everyone stood up rushing out the door. They had to get a plan together. They started heading for the lodging house, but Mattie stopped David. He had this look in his eye that he had never seen before. It made her all the more willing to follow him. He may not have believed it, but David was a leader deep down inside. He just had to let it come out.

"Are you alright?" She asked him honestly. He smiled, enjoying the fact that she cared.

"I'll be fine. Are you alright?" He asked. His smile was contagious, and the idea of getting Jack out of the refuge made her finally smile a real smile.

"I'll be fine." She repeated his choice of words. He chuckled.

"Come on." He said. Then the two ran to catch up with the others.

* * *

It took a long while for them to finally formulate the proper plan. A few of them would go, Mattie and David included. She had to fight them, but she told them that she had to go. Seeing that she was bound and determined they agreed. They would go when it got dark and they would break him out from the window they had saw Crutchy at. When he was on his feet, they would run until they were safely hidden. Mattie was nervous, but all for this plan. She couldn't let Jack stay in that place. She wouldn't allow it.

Once their plan was intact, they needed to find something to keep their minds off of it. The only thing they could think of was poker, so that's what they did. Les tried to get in on the game, but David wouldn't allow it. Mattie played well, even though she didn't win, she came pretty damn close. They didn't bet anything, seeing as they had nothing left. Mattie tried to teach David how to play, but he didn't have much of a poker face. She felt better, much better knowing that everyone was safe and they were going to get Jack out. Things may just go back to normal, except the fact that Jack would never be able to show his face again.

"It's getting dark. Should we head out?" Mush asked. Mattie looked to David. He was now the unofficial leader until Jack was back. He looked around, his eyes landing on Mattie. She was itching to go, and honestly so was David. No matter how many lies Jack told or how much trouble he got into, David believed they were friends. He was also friends with Mattie and she wanted nothing more than Jack to be free. So, he would do anything for his friends. Even break the law.

"Yeah, let's get going." David said. Mattie was the first to jump up. She was followed by Les, Racetrack, Blink, Mush, and Boots. Blink grabbed some rope on his way out, just in case. David looked around making sure they had everything. He said goodbye to the boys, hoping that he would see them again. Mattie hugged Kloppman, much like she did that morning.

"You be careful now, you hear?" Kloppman said. She nodded and hugged him again. David promised that she would be back. "I'm going to hold you to that."

David nodded before following the group outside. He felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He was nervous, yet excited. Over the past few days he had broken so many laws, and morals, he was used to it. He wondered if this was how Jack felt, and he hoped he might get the chance to ask.


	20. The Grand Escape Sort of

**I am working so hard on this, I hope it shows! Let me have feedback, because I really do love feedback! I never thought I would reach twenty chapters. Or 60 reviews! Seriously if I could get 100 reviews by the end of this story I might have a heart attack! Thank you all so much!**

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 20**

It didn't take long to reach the refuge. Mattie could feel her heart beating against her ribs. She was so nervous, but she had to get over it. Jack needed her, and she would be there for him. The small group followed a carriage through an open gate and into an alley right in front of the refuge. Looking into a window they caught sight of someone moving. Mattie could feel the severity of this situation sinking in. She was anxious to get away from this place. Ever since she helped Jack escape the first time, she had steered clear of this building. She fixed her cap on her head, making sure that it wasn't going to fall off.

"That's where we saw Crutchy." David said pointing to the window. Then suddenly they heard a whistle and they all ducked down out of sight. Mattie tried to quiet her breathing, just in case someone walked by. Peeking out of their hiding place they saw Jack coming out of the building. He was no longer in handcuffs. Snyder and two other men were surrounding him.

"It's Jack!" Les said moving to go forward. David shushed him grabbing ahold of him. The carriage that they had followed in was parked right in front of the building. As Jack and the guards around him began to get in, Mattie felt her heart clench. Their whole plan was being thrown out the window.

"Where they takin' him Dave?" Mush asked almost as worried as Mattie was.

"There's only one way to find out." Mattie said standing. She took a step forward, but David caught her arm. She whipped around anger on her face. "Let me go."

"You're not going alone." David said. Mattie huffed crossing her arms, but said nothing. She didn't have the time or energy to argue with him. "We'll meet you guys at the square."

The boys watched the two go, Mattie running with David trailing her. The two followed close enough to not be seen, but not too far away that they would lose sight of the carriage. When Mattie saw the chance she grabbed hold of the back of the carriage. She held on for dear life, only letting one hand go, once to reach for David. They crouched down on the foot step so they would be hidden. They had the darkness on their side. Most likely no one would be able to see them if they stayed low. Neither of them spoke, for fear of being caught.

David tried not to let the fact that she was very close to him invade his thoughts. He had a mission to do, and thinking about Mattie being right next to him, so close that he could feel every curve of her body against his was going to be his down fall. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down, but it didn't do much. Mattie sensing his nervousness, placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to soothe his nerves. That only made David even more anxious.

Their journey wasn't a long one; it lasted about ten minutes, ten minutes of agonizing longing on David's part. And ten minutes of agony for Mattie because she was so close to Jack, and yet she couldn't speak or even see him. She wanted to just wrench the carriage door open and pull Jack out and run. She wanted to run with him anywhere, she would go anywhere to make sure he was safe.

Mattie looked at the grand building they were headed towards. It had to have been someone important, because the place was huge. Mattie had only dreamed about homes that big. She never in her life thought she would see something so beautiful in real life. However, she didn't get long to admire, because as soon as the carriage stopped, David yanked her off of their perch and hid underneath the carriage. They watched as Snyder began to lead Jack inside the palace and Mattie felt her heart sink. They only had a limited about of time to get this done. David nodded for her to crawl forward, while he followed. He took the nail from the carriage, holding the horse to it. If his prediction was right, that one little movement might save them.

By that time Mattie and David were out from under the carriage , Jack and the other men were already inside. Mattie huffed before running to hide on the side of the stairs. David followed suit, and the two crouched down. They stayed silent, listening for any movement. They would have to wait for Jack to return before they could make their escape.

* * *

Inside, Jack was taken through the huge house. He looked around, admiring the room. It was full of expensive things, things that he was even fit to touch. He wished he could own a place like this. A place like this out in Santa Fe would be nice. Somewhere where he could roll in tons of money all alone. Well, maybe not alone. Jack had never imagined that he would grow up and get married, let alone have a family. But lately, with everything that had been happening, he didn't know if he wanted to be alone. He knew he would get lonely at some point; it just wasn't in his nature to be alone. Maybe he could take someone with him to Santa Fe.

In his dream world, he would take Mattie with him. Besides all the confusion surrounding them and what he was feeling, she had always been there. If she wasn't around, he didn't know what he would do. She had been his rock, his best friend, his shoulder to lean on. She was so important to him. When he originally thought of Santa Fe, he never really thought about taking her with him. He never really thought about having feelings for her either, but things change. If he could convince her to go with him, he would probably leap for joy.

Then again, he had decided that he wasn't good for her. He would be selfish to take her with him, to uproot her from everything she had ever known. He couldn't be selfish with her, even though he wished he could. He cared about her too much to make her come with him. Who even said she would agree? She might tell him he's crazy and to get out of her life. Then again, if he didn't ask he would never know. He growled to himself. Why do girls have to be so confusing?

Suddenly he heard footsteps. Standing up straight, he saw the one and only Joseph Pulitzer coming down a grand staircase. He was dressed in a nice suit, looking clean and dapper all the way down to his shoes. His facial hair was cut neatly, and his glasses sat straight on his nose. Jack swallowed; he had never been in the presence of such a big socialite. Pulitzer ran this city; he owned everyone and everything here. He was intimidating to say the least, but Jack couldn't let him know that.

"Sit." Pulitzer ordered. Jack hesitated, but did as he was told, sitting in one of the lush chairs. He felt so out of place here. He felt like he was offending even though he had been brought here against his will.

"Know what I was doing when I was your age boy?" Pulitzer asked. "I was in a war. The Civil war."

"Yeah, I heard of it. So… did you win?" Jack asked boldly. He couldn't let Pulitzer get him down. He was already at a low point, he couldn't be brought down much lower.

"People think that wars are about right or wrong. They're not. They're about power." Pulitzer said. Jack vaguely remembered seeing a similar sentence written in one of his papers.

"Yeah, I heard of that too. I don't just sell your papers, Joe, sometimes I read 'em." Jack told the elderly man. Pulitzer stared at Jack for a second before speaking again.

"Power of the press is the greatest power of them all. I tell the city how to think. I tell this city how to vote. I shape its future." Pulitzer said with a wild gesture of his hand.

"Yeah? Well, right now… I'm just thinking about one future and that's mine." Jack admitted. This was true, but he was also thinking about his friends, and Mattie's. Could he and Mattie have a future together? He didn't know, but all he knew was that he needed to figure out a way to get out of here and get on a train to Santa Fe.

"So am I, boy. I have the power to see that you stay locked in the refuge." Pulitzer threatened.

"And I have the power to break out again." Jack replied. He would find a way to get out with or without Teddy Roosevelt. He had to get out or he may not have a future to worry about.

"Or… I could see you released tomorrow free and clear… with more money in your pockets than you could earn in… three lifetimes." Pulitzer offered. Jack swallowed. That was a lot of money, but there had to be a catch.

"Are you bribin' me, Joe?" Jack asked.

"Mmmm. Well, no-no-no-no-no." Pulitzer insisted.

"Well, it's been nice chattin' with ya' Joe, but I gotta' be going now." Jack said standing from the chair. Jack wasn't a sellout. He wouldn't take this offer if it meant hurting the ones he cared about.

"You listen to me, boy. Just shut your mouth and listen to me. You shut up and listen to me for once." Pulitzer said growing louder and louder. Jack stayed silent, knowing he hit a nerve by not listening to Pulitzer. Pulitzer roughly grabbed Jack's arm and made him look at him.

"It's no game I'm playing. You work for me until the strike is over. And it will end, boy, make no mistake, without you. Then you go wherever you want to buy a ticket for. Away from the refuge, these foul streets. Free! With money to spend and nobody chasing you." Pulitzer said poking Jack's chest. It sounded like a good deal, the only downside would be that he would be a sellout. He would be a scab, like the kids he beat up. He wouldn't be fighting for what he believes in. He would disappoint, his friends, allies, but more importantly himself. Then he wondered, why would Pulitzer offer him such a generous way out?

"I must have you scared pretty bad, old man." Jack said a smirk on his face. Pulitzer was scared of the newsies, and he knew that without Jack, the strike would be over sooner than later.

"I offer you freedom and money just to work for me again. To your friends, I won't be so kind!" Pulitzer said, getting more and more irritated. "Now your partner, what's his name, David? I understand he had a family. What do you think the refuge will do to him?"

Jack didn't speak. He couldn't imagine David in the refuge while his family struggled to stay alive. Without the extra cash he knew that David's family wouldn't do too well. He couldn't do that to the family that was so kind to him.

"And that girl. Can you imagine what would happen to her?" Pulitzer asked. Jack tensed, which caused Pulitzer to chuckle.

"Leave her out of this." Jack growled. Threatening David and his family was wrong, and it hurt, but when someone threatened Mattie, it gets personal.

"Ah, Snyder said that would be a soft spot. I don't just have the power to set you free, I also have the power to keep her away from you. I can send her to any girl's home in the city, in the state, in the country! All it takes is a snap of my fingers and she is gone." Pulitzer said, snapping his fingers for dramatic effect. Jack clenched his fists as he glared at the old man.

"And it will be you, who sent her there, put David in the refuge. And all the others. After all, you're their leader." Pulitzer finished. "Go back to the refuge tonight. Think about it. Give me your answer in the morning."

* * *

"What's taking so long?" Mattie whispered feeling more nervous than before. They had been waiting for longer than twenty minutes. She almost went in there to get Jack herself, but David told her that was suicide. David had done his best to calm her down, but he came to the conclusion that she wouldn't calm down until Jack was safe. Suddenly the doors burst opened. Mattie braced herself for the run of her life. She could see Jack, he was being held by Snyder and was taking careful steps. She swallowed before coming out of hiding, David right behind her.

"Jack! Come on!" David yelled. Jack turned to his left to see both David and Mattie standing there waving for him to run. He took his chance. He slid down the arm rail, out of Snyder's reach and jumped off. Once he was on his feet he took off grabbing Mattie's outstretched hand as he ran. They ran quickly through the gates, David close behind. They continued running faster than they ever had until they were in a darkened alley. Suddenly, Jack stopped, dropping her hand. Mattie tugged on his arm trying to get him to move.

"Come on, keep running!" She commanded, but Jack wasn't moving.

"You shouldn't have done this." Jack sighed. Mattie stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Mattie asked, louder than she meant to.

"They could put you in a girls home. They could send David to jail." Jack reasoned.

"I don't care." David said butting in. Jack wiggled his arm from Mattie's iron grasp and grabbed hold of David. He pushed him against the brick wall keeping him there with his hands.

"What about your family? What happens to them if you go to jail? You don't know nothin' about jail." Jack said. "Thanks for what you've done, but you get outta' here."

"I don't understand." David said. He thought that he would be doing a good thing, springing Jack from the refuge.

"I don't understand either, but just get outta' here!" Jack shouted, pushing David. Mattie caught David before he fell and kept him steady. Once he was flat on his feet Mattie turned to Jack. She took quick long steps up until she was right in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked. "They brain wash you or somethin'?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just looking out for ya'." He told her.

"How many times have I told you I don't need you looking out for me?" She asked getting angrier by the second. Both David and herself put their selves on the line to help him escape, and now he wanted them to leave him behind without even batting an eyelash. No, Mattie wasn't about to let him go without a fight.

"Just go Mattie." Jack ordered. She stood firm looking up into his eyes.

"No!" She yelled to him. He ran an angry, anxious hand through his hair before he shouted back at her.

"I said go!" He yelled. She winced at his tone but let out an angry breath so she wouldn't hit him or something.

"Estás loco si crees que voy a dejarte aquí. Hemos llegado demasiado lejos para que usted acaba de tirar la toalla!" She screamed at him. He scoffed to himself. (Translation: You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you here. We have come too far now for you to just throw in the towel!)

"I don't understand what you just said, but I want you to go, right now! Their gonna' catch up any minute." Jack said looking over his shoulder anxiously.

"I told you I'm not leaving here without you. Not again." She said. "David and I put our necks on the line-"

"Did I ask for that? No! Now just get outta' here." He ordered again. He needed her to leave right now before Snyder caught up with them. He couldn't be selfish anymore. He had to get them out of here before anyone got into any more trouble.

"Jack just come with us please!" She begged. She knew that Snyder was probably just around the corner. She had to get Jack out of here, and quick. Why wasn't he leaving with them?

"I don't want to! Okay? Now, get the hell away from me!" Jack shouted. Mattie closed her mouth, taking an angry breath through her nose. She was holding back tears, and holding back her urge to beat the shit out of him. She set her jaw before turning on her heel. She wordlessly grabbed David's arm and pulled the stunned boy away from Jack. David looked over his shoulder once and gave Jack a saddened look. Mattie didn't look back. If Jack didn't want to go, more power to him. However, she couldn't stop her heart from shattering as she walked further and further away from him.

Jack watched them leave, and felt himself dying inside. He was doing what was best for them, he knew that, but that couldn't soften the blow. He knew that the only way to make them leave was to act that way. Mattie would have never left if he had been kind to her. She probably would have dressed up as him and went in his place if he would have let her. She cared too much about him. He had to protect her, even if that meant his heart would break because of it.

He went back to Pulitzer's, his head hanging low. They hadn't chased him, because they knew he would come back. Snyder made sure that he kept his eye on his until they returned to the refuge. Snyder put him in a tiny cell, alone. Nothing to accompany him but the moonlight and a fold up bed. When the door was roughly locked behind him, he made his way to the wall on the opposite side. He slid down it, sadly. He stared at the wall, imagining that Mattie was there with him. Her brown hair falling down her small shoulders, her brown eyes twinkling with laughter, and her lips would be pulled up into the smile he loved. He had hated hurting her, but it had to be done. Maybe this way, she could find someone better than him, someone who deserved her. Someone who could love her the way she should be loved.

"_Santa Fe_

_My old friend_

_I can't spend my whole life hidin'_

_You're the only light that's guidin' me today" _He sang this so quietly, and with so much sadness, he felt his heart break into pieces. Maybe he should take Pulitzer's offer. That way he could get out of here, and stop hurting the one's he truly loves.

"Psst, Jack." A familiar voice said. Crutchy opened the little slot in the door, his bright smiling face showing through the hole. "Look. I snatched it off of Snyder's plate when I was serving him."

Jack stood up going toward the door. In Crutchy's hand was a big round potato. It made Jack's mouth water and stomach growl just looking at it.

"It's the biggest one. Oh, Mr. Snyder was eating good tonight. You know, the stuff that we don't never get. He got, potatoes, olives, even bacob, sauerkraut. And guess what I done to his sauerkraut." Crutchy blabbed. Jack smiled weakly at his old friend, not even Crutchy could bring his spirits up. But the kid would die trying.

"So what's it get ya?" Jack asked.

"Another three months." Crutchy said, not really caring that he would be there for an extended amount of time. " But you can't let him beat ya', right, Jack? That's what you always say."

Jack slowly made his way back across the room. He sat sadly on the bed, putting the potato on the bed side table. He didn't have the heart to tell Crutchy that he was considering taking an offer from Pulitzer. An offer that could make the others turn against him. An offer that would turn him into a scab. An offer that would seal the deal that he and Mattie could never have a future together. He, himself, couldn't even believe that he was considering it. However, he had to. It was for the best. He would be protecting the one's he truly cared about, even if that meant they would hate him for it. He was willing to take that chance.

"We was beat when we was born." Jack mumbled. Crutchy reluctantly closed the panel on the door, realizing that Jack wanted to be alone. He knew something was wrong, but all the potatoes in the world couldn't help him. Jack crossed his arms and after Crutchy was gone, he let one tear run down his face.

_Will you keep a candle burnin'?_

_Will you help me find my way?_

_You're my chance to break free_

_And who knows when my next one will be?_

_Santa Fe_

_Wait for me _

Jack headed to his window, looking out of the bars. No one was on the streets, and the street lamps weren't lit. He souley wished that Mattie would be out there, forcing him to escape. But she wasn't. Most likely she had given up, which is what Jack needed. He needed her to give up on him. He needed her to hate him. He wanted her to believe in him. He wanted her to love him. He swallowed.

Did he love her?

He didn't know for sure. He had never been in love. He had come to terms that he was growing feelings toward her. But love? He didn't know he was capable of it. However, at the thought of Mattie his heart skipped a beat. Then as he thought of Mattie hating him, his heart snapped. Maybe he did love her, but he couldn't pull her into a future of pain. He had gotten out of her life just in time. He should have been happy that she had a bright future, but then why did he feel so heartbroken?


	21. Betrayal

**This is a sad chapter for me. Honestly, this whole thing between the Mattie and Jack thing makes me sad AND I'M WRITING IT! Anyway, the song in the chapter is "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," from Phantom of the Opera. I'm trying to get these chapters done because I have an idea for a Rise of the Guardians fic so I need to get this one done!**

**I do not own Newsies or the song from POTO**

**Chapter 21**

As they said, Mattie and David met the others in the square. Mattie didn't speak she was too upset to, so David told them what had happened. Racetrack almost went over there to 'beat some sense' into him, but David convinced him otherwise. Les was let down. He was hoping to see Jack again. He didn't understand why he wouldn't jump at the chance of escape. None of them did. Mattie seemed to be taking it the hardest, but she was putting on a brave face. As the group began to walk home, she began to lag behind.

She wanted to talk to someone. Not the boys, or Kloppman. None of them would understand. She needed to speak to someone that she hadn't spoken to in a long time. Someone she missed dearly.

"You alright Dimples?" Racetrack asked seeing her begin to slow. All the boys turned around, staring at her. They knew that she was upset right now. They didn't know what she was capable of at this moment. It was like they were walking on eggshells afraid that she would snap.

"I think I'm going to go to the cemetery." She said quietly. "To visit my mom."

No one spoke at first. They knew her mother had passed away, but to their knowledge, she hadn't gone to visit her grave in years. She had gone for the first two years, but eventually stopped going. Jack never said much to the guys about Mattie's past, but he did say that she had stopped going because it was too painful. Mattie never spoke about her mother, so this was new to the boys. Even David had forgotten about Mattie's dead mother, because she was only brought up once. Racetrack, always being the first to recover, spoke first.

"That's a great idea." He said slipping his arm around her shoulder for support. "We'll go with ya'."

"I need to make this trip alone." Mattie said steadily. Race's arm dropped slowly and he stepped away. The others didn't speak, they just watched her. She knew they were worried about her. "I'll be fine. Tell Kloppman I'm going to be late."

They nodded, so she turned and was about to head to the cemetery when she stopped. She turned to face the boys again and walked up to David. She wordlessly threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He was shocked at first, but eventually hugged her back.

"Thank you." She whispered as she pulled back. He nodded, not trusting his voice. She smiled at them, reassuring them that she was okay. They smiled back, not masking their worry for her very well. She waved goodbye to the boys before she left, heading down the street and to the cemetery. Her mother's grave was in the cemetery by the church that she and her mother used to attend. Ever since her death, Mattie hadn't set foot in the church. It was another thing that reminded her of her mother. The cemetery remained unlocked, so Mattie didn't have to break in.

It was bitter sweet as she made the journey to the black iron gate. She could see the small gray headstones as she pushed the gate open. She knew exactly where her mother's was. It's position was burned into her brain. It was close to the back, so Mattie would have a little walk to get there. She didn't mind though. She would have time to think to herself.

As she entered the gate, she felt a strange emotion wash over her. It was surreal to be there, after all those years. She wanted so badly for her mother to just come back to life, but she knew that wasn't possible. She missed her so dearly. The way she smelled, the way she spoke, the way she sang to her at night in Spanish. She even missed when she would chastise her for not being ladylike. She missed everything about her mother, even her faults. She took small steps, making sure she didn't disturb the other graves.

"_You were once my one companion_

_You were all that mattered_

_You were once a friend and mother_

_Then my world was shattered" _She was halfway through the cemetery, she was fighting back her tears. If he mother could see her right now, she didn't want her to see her crying. Her mother wouldn't want her to cry over her. Mattie had inherited her mother's fighting spirit, and if she could see her now, she wouldn't want her to be sad.

"_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Wishing you were somehow near_

_Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed_

_Somehow you would be here…_

_Wishing I could hear your voice again_

_Knowing that I never would_

_Dreaming of you won't help me to do_

_All that you dreamed I could" _She swallowed as she saw her mother's head stone. _Francesca Marie Conrad. Beloved daughter and mother. _Mattie felt herself scoff. After her mother became pregnant, her parents had thrown her out on the street. Then they had thrown themselves into debt, and both of them had put a bullet in their mouth. The state just put that on the headstone because it 'sounded better.'

"_Passing bells and sculpted angels_

_Cold and monumental, seem for you the wrong companions_

_You were warm and gentle" _By this point Mattie had kneeled down by the headstone. It had been neglected, the stone chipping away and moss growing up it's side. There were no flowers surrounding it like the other graves. It was her fault that her mother's burial site wasn't as pretty as the others. She knew that she should have been there, protecting what she most felt dear, but not she remembered why she hadn't come. Seeing her mother's head stone made tears prick her eyes. She hated crying so much, she hated feeling weak. Lately that was her constant feeling, weakness.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on the task at hand. Her eyes scanned around seeing a group of wild flowers growing by the church. She didn't believe they would mind if she stole a few. She went and picked several, placing them delicately on the grave site. She took in a shaky breath, willing herself not to cry. Then she realized. Why shouldn't she cry? There was no one around, and her world was slowly falling apart piece by piece. She didn't have her mother the cry to, and now she didn't have Jack. She had no one, but herself.

"_Too many years fighting back tears_

_Why can't the past just die?_

_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Knowing we must say, Goodbye_

_Try to forgive, teach me to live_

_Give me the strength to try_

_No more memories, no more silent tears_

_No more gazing across the wasted years_

_Help me say, Goodbye_

_Help me say, Goodbye." _When she had finished, tears were streaming from her eyes. She wiped at her cheeks with her sleeve, making sure no one was around. She felt better, letting everything out. She was still upset, but she felt better. She leaned her forehead onto the cold stone.

"I know, I haven't been around much…. But I need to talk to you. Do you remember me talking about Jack? Well, uh…. We're still the best of friends…. Well… maybe. I don't understand him. We were trying to break him out of the refuge and he wouldn't come with us! He said he was looking out for me, but…. I don't need to be looked after, I've been looking out for myself for years…. I love him… I love him so much it hurts! I love him so much that I can't even breathe without him… Is this what you felt like about my father? I hope not, because I couldn't imagine letting Jack go if he ever decided to leave….. I wish I could talk to you in person…. I wish I could hear your voice…. I wish you could hold me…. But I know you can't, and it's not your fault. It's none of our faults. I just wish that I could see you one last time…. I miss you mama." Her words fell into a whisper, and she wiped away one stray tear.

Her words were followed by a cold wind, causing her arm to break out into goose bumps. She shivered but a smile invaded her face. Her mother may not be there physically, but she was always with her. Mattie stayed there for another ten minutes before she finally got the courage to get up. She blew a kiss to her mother's grave before turning to walk out of the cemetery. She took her time going home. She wanted to be alone as much as possible. She had so many things to think about. She felt better, talking to her mother. She would have to make more trips to the cemetery. Her mother would have wanted that. When she did get home, she was greeted by Kloppman. She told him where she had been and he understood. He gave her a hug, before telling her to go to sleep. She told him goodnight before heading up the stairs.

She walked past the bunkroom, only a handful of them still awake. She didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to sleep. She slipped into her room, closing the door firmly behind her. She changed quickly, wanting so badly to sleep. However, when she was in her bed, she found that she couldn't fall asleep right away. She knew it would probably take time, but she was exhausted. She guessed it was because of everything that had happened recently. She had too much on her mind, and too many emotions fluttering around her heart. She hugged herself, feeling more tears spill onto her pillow. She had faced her demon's by speaking to her mother, and that had felt good. Now, all she wanted to do was talk to Jack. She still didn't understand his reasoning for going back. It broke her heart that he wasn't here, but she knew Jack. If he was staying in the refuge, he must have a good reason. He wouldn't be there unless he had to. She trusted him. She trusted him with her life, and her heart. She thought to herself for about an hour before she succumbed to sleep, closing her eyes and plummeting into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Mattie woke at her usual time. She really needed a bath, because she felt disgusting. She headed to the washroom, making sure not to wake the boys. Surprisingly she had slept relatively well that night, whether it was because she was just that tired or if her mother had help with it, she didn't know. All she did know was that she needed some Mattie time. She spent a majority of her time in the bathtub. She wished she could stay in there all day, but she didn't want the boys seeing her that way and the water was beginning to get cold. So, she dried off and put her clothes on. She tugged a comb through her tangles of hair, and did her best to dry it out.

She surveryed herself in the mirror. She didn't look as bad as yesterday, but she still had those nasty dark circles under her eyes, and the bruise she had received was practically gone. She touched the spot where it had been, not feeling any tenderness. That day felt like light years away, not that she was complaining. She didn't want to think about that day at all. She had to focus.

Not too long after she had finished looking at herself, the boys came it. They were as eager as she was, but much more focused. They were planning on gathering outside the distribution center, all the newsies from around the New York, and protesting. Some of the boys had even made signs to hold up.

David and Les came over that morning to walk with them to the center. Mattie had greeted both of them with a smile and a hug. David couldn't help but have his heart skip a beat at the contact. Mattie didn't notice of course, causing David to sigh. Once everyone was ready, they headed out hearts ablaze with determination, and fists ready to fly if it came down to it. David led them, being the leader as of now. Mattie was proud of David, because she knew that he could do the job, but she just missed Jack being there. She missed him more than anything, but she had a strike to win, so she couldn't have her emotions clouding her judgment.

When they arrived, several of the other newsies from all of New York were there. Brooklyn was there, greeting them with high fives and winning chants. Spot had quietly apologized to Mattie for his behavior at the rally, making sure no one could hear it but her. She had accepted it as loudly as possible, in which he grumbled and walked away. She laughed to herself, trying her best to see the best in the situation and not thinking about Jack. Slowly but surely more newsies came flooding in, and so did a dozen or so police officers. They had planned this, but the bulls didn't scare them anymore.

"Stop 'The World.' No more papes!" The newsies chanted. Mattie was settled in the front, chanting the loudest. David was by her side, chanting almost as loud. He was proud to be the new leader, fighting for their rights. It gave him a sense of pride, and happiness. He had never taken a stand, and when his father told him he was proud of him, he was elated with joy.

The newsie's continued chanting only seperating when the newspaper wagon came through, but came back together as soon as it was gone. Blocking their way were the bulls, but they could still see the small group of scabbers come out of the gate. Spot's jaw dropped when he saw who was leading them.

"Tell me I'm just seein' things. Just tell me I'm seein' things." Spot said, becoming angrier.

"You aint' seein' things. That's Jack." Racetrack said. Mattie froze where she was. She had to be hearing things. She just had to. She slowly turned and her breath hitched at what she saw. Jack had come out of the distribution center, clad in a nice, clean, new gray suit. She felt her stomach drop at the sight of him. She couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed at them, willing herself to wake up from this nightmare, but she wasn't dreaming.

"He's dressed like a scabber!" Spot said.

"Jack, look at me, will ya'? Come on, it's me Mush. Look at me! What're you doing?" Mush said. Jack looked down, knowing that he couldn't look any of them in the eye. He was a scab, and he knew it. He sold them out, and he deserved to be beaten to a pulp. But he had to do it. He had to protect them.

"This aint' happening! What are you doin' Jack?" Blink asked, trying his best to get past the bulls and over to his friend. Boots pushed his way through.

"Hey what is this? Where'd you get them clothes?" Boots asked.

"Mr. Pulitzer picked them. A special gift to a special new employee." Weasel answered for Jack. Jack looked up, his chin held high. He couldn't be weak in this.

"He sold us out!" Someone cried.

"Look at him in his little suit. Ya' bum! I'll soak ya'!" Race shouted pushing on the bulls holding him back.

"Come here, you dirty rotten scabber!" Spot yelled jumping on the police officers. He waved his cane wildly, trying so hard to get to the sellout. Jack stood there, taking in every threat like a man. He deserved this. He decided this. Every single person he knew and cared about were screaming at him. It hurt, their words, but he knew this would happen.

Mattie felt numb, completely numb. She had no more tears to cry, and no more anger to spit. She didn't know why she had thought Jack would come through. She didn't know why she trusted him. He sold them out. He sold her out. He betrayed her, and she wanted so bad to scream. No words just scream. She wanted to punch a wall. If this was what heartbreak was, she never wanted to fall in love again.

"Oh, you want to talk to him. Come on, sure." Weasel taunted her. The middle aged man knew how close the two were, and seeing her angry with him might just be a good show. She glared at Weasel, but walked through when the bulls parted, making room for her. Jack watched as she sauntered up to him. She was hard to read, but he could tell that she was far from happy. She gestured for him to follow her off to the side, she didn't want to make more of a scene than she already had. Everyone became quiet, wanting answers, and to hear what Mattie would say.

"So this is why you didn't escape last night." She said bitterly tugging at Jack's new jacket. He looked down at her a scowl on his face.

"Yeah." Jack replied, no remorse in his voice.

"I don't understand you." She told him. Jack scoffed.

"So let me spell it out for ya'. You see, I never had no mother like you did. I don't have no one tucking me in at night like David. It's just me. I gotta' look out for myself." Jack said. That was a jab to Mattie's heart.

"You had the newsies!" She shouted.

"What's being a newsie ever give me, but a dime a day and a few black eyes?" Jack asked. He hated it after he said it. The newsies gave him everything. They gave him a family he never had. Love he never felt. The newsies gave him Mattie.

"You had me." She said quieter, trying to keep her voice steady. She hated the past tense of the word, but Jack obviously picked money over her. Her heart was breaking, chipping away slowly but surely.

"I can't afford to be a kid no more, Mattie. For the first time in my life I got money in my pockets. Real money! Money. You understand?" He said. "I got more on the way and as soon as I collect, I'm gone, alright?"

She blinked. He was really going to leave. He was going to get his money and go. He was going to leave her here without anyone or anything to hold on to. He wouldn't even bat an eyelash as he left. He would go and have some happy life with his money, without her. A couple days ago if someone asked her if she would die to go with Jack to Santa Fe she would have said 'of course.' If someone asked her at that moment, she probably would have broken their nose. Sure she was saddened by his words, she still love him with all of her being. But, she was so angry that she would honestly never go somewhere with him. This wasn't the Jack she loved, this was someone new, someone cold. She didn't love this Jack, she hated this Jack.

"That's good. 'Cause we don't need you." She told him. He scoffed. " Yeah, we don't need you! All those words you said, those were David's!"

"But he never had the guts to put 'em across himself." Jack informed her looking over his shoulder at a seething David.

"Well now he does. He's much of a better leader than you ever were." She said through her teeth. "You're selfish, and I wish I would of realized that before I….."

"Before you what?" He taunted. She bit her bottom lip, holding her tongue. She couldn't, wouldn't, tell him her feelings, because this Jack didn't deserve to hear them.

"I trusted you. We all trusted you." She said bitterly. Jack chuckled darkly.

"Well that was stupid on your part wasn't it?" He said. He hated doing this, but it was the only way he could keep them safe. Keep her safe. Once the strike was over, he would be out of their lives and no longer causing trouble.

"Come on Mattie." David urged from the sidelines. She sent one last bone chilling glare to Jack before she began heading back for the crowd.

"Yeah, get outta' here little _girl._" Jack said. Mattie froze in her tracks. The way he put the sneer on the word 'girl' had made her snap. She turned slowly back to see him standing there, no emotion on his face. The place was silent, and the tension was high. She took three long strides back to him and before she could think, her hand collided with his cheek. The loud smack echoed through square. There was a second of silence before the newsie's broke out into cheers at her reaction, but neither Mattie nor Jack were cheering. He stared at her in shock, holding his stinging cheek. She was just staring at him bitterly and Weasel grabbed her arm and threw her back into the crowd before Jack could say anything. She didn't take her eyes off of him as the newsie's shouted around her, yelling at Jack and sending praise to Mattie. David moved to comfort her, but she turned pushing her way through the crowd and out of Jack's sight.

He had lost her. She had lost him. For the two of them, it seemed like any kind of future together would never be attainable. However, two broken hearts can sometimes make a whole.


	22. Broken

**I don't like mean Jack and sad Mattie, but we have to keep in mind that Jack is trying to keep her safe and give her a bright future. Anyway thank you my beautiful readers! This is shorter, but I thought that was a good place to stop. **

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 22**

Mattie didn't watch as the bulls protected Jack from the other newsie's. They pushed their way through, making sure Jack wasn't harmed. She looked the other way, ashamed of the way she acted. She had been so angry, that she didn't know how to react. She kind of hoped she hurt him though, he deserved it. Out of all the people she knew, she never would have imagined Jack would become a scab.

"He's foolin' 'em, so he can spy on 'em or something." Les said trying to reason with them. He still believed in Jack, no matter what he did. Mattie used to think that was her, but after his hurtful words, she didn't even know who Jack was.

"Come on Mattie. Tell 'em." Les begged. If anyone could still believe in Jack, Les thought it would be Mattie. She looked down at him with a sorrowful smile. She leaned down to his level and gently took his chin.

"I wish I could." She told him. Les huffed looking at her hopefully.

"He wouldn't be that mean to ya'. I know. It's gotta' be an act. I just know it." Les said. Mattie felt her eyes water and she pulled Les into a tight hug. She wished that she could believe him. But after what had happened, she didn't know what to believe anymore. She didn't know who she could trust anymore.

"You really showed him Dimples." Racetrack said. She released Les and stood up straight.

"Yeah, he didn't even know what hit him." Boots told her. The others congratulated her, telling her how tough she was, but she didn't feel tough. She was hurt, upset, and angry. She was hoping that she was dreaming, and the love of her life wasn't selling them out and saying hurtful things to her. Every time she blinked she hoped she would wake up, but with every eyelid fall she became more and more disappointed.

"Well, we're outta' here." Spot said gesturing for his newsies to follow him. Mattie's heart dropped.

"Wait, we have to plan for tomorrow. We have to-" David began but Spot cut him off.

"Don't you get it? It's over." Spot said turning. Mattie jumped into action. She caught Spot's arm and made him turn around.

"It's not over. Just because Jack…. Sold us out…. That doesn't mean that this is over." Mattie said. Spot wrenched his arm from her grasp.

"I'm tired. My boys are tired. It's time to face facts. We couldn't win this from the start. Might as well give up while we're ahead." Spot said. He began to walk away again.

"The Spot Conlon I know would never back down from a fight!" She shouted. Spot whipped around, a scowl on his face.

"Well you misjudge a lot of people." He said, referring to how she trusted Jack and fell in love with him. Mattie swallowed hard, closing her mouth. Spot nodded before walking off again.

"Spot!" She shouted. He didn't stop. The Brooklyn newsie's followed him, waving sadly to the others. She took a step to try and catch up, but someone caught her arm.

"It aint' worth it." Racetrack told her. She stared at him before watching the Brooklyn newsies leave. Soon afterward, Coney Island left, then Midtown, West side, Queens, the Bronx, everyone was leaving until they were dwindled down to just Manhattan. They were back where they started, just without Jack.

"Guess we better head home." Mush said. The boys agreed, hanging their heads and beginning to walk to the lodging house. Mattie could feel everything slipping away from her. Nothing was going right anymore. But she couldn't give up, not on this strike.

"Hey wait! What about the strike?" She asked. The boys turned around sorrowfully. They were beaten, they had no fight left in them.

"What's the point? We ain't got no one helping us now." Blink said.

"So? We can still win." Mattie replied. Racetrack sighed walking over to her.

"Sorry Dimples, but we ain't gonna' fight something we can't win." Race said. Mattie looked around at everyone's faces. They all had the same look, that they were done. Even David had the look of defeat upon his face. Mattie bit her bottom lip, taking in a deep breath.

"So that's it? You're all just gonna' give up?" She asked. They all wouldn't meet her eyes and she let out a scoff. She then looked up at David, he was the only one who was looking at her. "You too David?"

"I don't think we can do much more." He said. Mattie set her jaw and shook her head. She pushed through the boys angrily. She had lost everything now. She couldn't bear to look at their faces, for fear she may get angry, or cry. They were no better than Jack. They were selling themselves short, something she never thought she would see. She was so disappointed, and hurt. She began to run.

She just ran, and ran, pushing past people and tripping over herself. She didn't know where she was headed, or why she felt the need to keep moving, but that didn't stop her. She had never felt so alone. Even after her mother died, she had the people of the state. Now, there was no one on her side. Her friends had abandoned the cause, and Jack… well he broke her heart. She wanted to hate him, she really did, but there was that spark that was buried deep down within her that still told her she loved him. Even when he sold her out, and became something she hated, she still couldn't help but love him.

It wasn't until she reached the edge of Manhattan that she stopped running. She swallowed, not knowing where to go next. She couldn't go home, at least not yet. She couldn't walk around Manhattan for fear she would see Jack selling papers again. She had no place to go. She took a left walking until she found a quiet spot, and she sat. She didn't think, she just sat there numb. As her world was falling around her, she found herself not being able to think anymore. She had thought too hard, fought too hard to think about anything right now. She was finished, completely broken at this point. It was times like these that she wished she had never been born. Or she lived a different type of life. Maybe then she would be heartbroken, shattered, and utterly broken, beyond repair.

* * *

The rest of the day, Jack spent trying to get back into the groove of selling. It had been so long since he sold a paper, he had slightly lost his touch. Then again, his heart wasn't in it. His face no longer stung from the slap from Mattie, but the pain was still there. He had hurt her, hurt her big time. He knew what he was signing up for when took Pulitzer's offer, but he still hadn't imagined that she would hit him. He couldn't blame her, however.

He tried to tell himself that this was the right thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to think that anything he had done was right. He pushed her away, like he had planned, he pushed them all away. Once he collected he was gone and out of their lives for good, but that wasn't what he wanted. He hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, but he did. In the end, he hurt himself as well.

He threw his last few papers on the ground, not wanting to try anymore. He wanted to go to the lodging house, he wanted to apologize, he wanted to grab Mattie and hold her until the end of time. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he couldn't. He had made his bed, now he had to lie in it. It was painful as he walked slowly back to the distribution center. He felt his stomach churn with every step. He hated that place, and everyone in it. He hated that this was his new home. He'd rather be in the refuge than with Weasel and the Delancy's.

It was starting to get dark, so he headed inside. After several nasty words from Oscar and Morris, Weasel took Jack down the stairs into the basement of the building. It was covered in dust, cobwebs, and old papers. The whole room smelled of paper ink and dirt. Jack held in his complaints, knowing that if he said one word, he was back in the refuge.

"One trick, Cowboy, and it's right back to the refuge." Weasel said, reading Jack's mind. He motioned for Jack to step further into the room. Jack dragged his bag of few belonging's behind him. He didn't care about them anymore. Once he was in Santa Fe, he would get new stuff. Maybe forget everything that had happened here in New York. Weasel threw a dusty sheet at Jack, which Jack roughly threw off. He reluctantly sat on the old creaky bed, throwing his sack on the ground.

"Ah, you gonna' be requiring anything else this evening?" Weasel asked. Jack looked up at him with a glare. "No? Ah, tsk, tsk. Well then, I oughta be saying good night."

"Remember… one trick and I go straight to Mr. Pulitzer." Weasel said, going up the stairs. Jack said nothing, but watched as the overweight man walked up the stairs. Once he was gone, Jack let out a breath. His eyes scanned the room once more, feeling a pit grow in his stomach. It wasn't much better than the lodging house, but here he was alone. At the lodging house, he had friends, and people who cared about him. Here, he was all by himself, the only other living creatures were the mice and spiders.

Jack stood, taking off his jacket and tossing it to the floor. He didn't care if it was new, and now dirty. He only wore it because Pulitzer said he had to. It was another symbol that he wasn't fighting anymore. A reminder that he had given up. He angrily let out a huff before collapsing on the bed. He was so conflicted.

He thought he had done the right thing, but now he wasn't too sure. Maybe if he had fought harder, they could have won the strike. Maybe his friends wouldn't hate him. Maybe, he would be with them right now, celebrating. Maybe Mattie wouldn't hate him. She hated him right then, he knew it. She had to of hated him. David too. All of the newsies of New York hated him right now. Instead of hiding from Snyder, he now had to hide from his former friends. He wouldn't blame them if they soaked him while his back was turned. He would probably do the same thing. He had just wanted to protect them, and he really was. If he hadn't of taken the offer, David and the rest would be in jail, and Mattie… who know's where Pulitzer would have sent her. He couldn't take that chance. He just wanted his money, and a ticket to Santa Fe. He had to get out.

He tried to get comfortable on the bed, hearing it creak every time he moved. He had to get some sleep, but sleep was so far away from him. He closed his eyes, settling on his back. It took a long time, but after a while, sleep came over him and he found himself dreaming.

* * *

_Jack's eyes snapped open, and he sat up quickly. He looked around at his surroundings seeing that he was still in the basement below the distribution center. He sighed, flopping back down on the loud mattress. He closed his eyes again, willing himself to go to sleep, but the sudden change in temperature made his eyes open again. He sat up, an eerie feeling falling over him. He threw his covers off of him, even though he was suddenly freezing. His eyes scanned the room once more, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. _

"_Hello Jack." A female voice said. Jack jumped out of his skin, up onto his feet. He whipped around seeing a dark figure standing right above his bed. Jack swallowed, his eyes flickering to the stairs. Maybe he could make a break for it. Then again, if he stayed here and got murdered, he wouldn't have to feel the guilt he was feeling. _

"_Sorry… I didn't mean to startle you." The voice said. The owner of the voice then lit the candle she stood next to. Her face was lighten then, giving Jack the opportunity to see her. She was a young woman, only in her late twenties, early thirties. She was beautiful, with her copper skin, dark long hair falling in perfect curls, and deep hazel eyes that stared right into Jack's soul. She had a grin on her face, something making Jack want to trust her. She had on a long white flowing dress, making her look like an angel, and her feet were bare. _

"_It's uh… fine." Jack replied, not knowing what else to say. The woman stepped forward, boldly taking a seat on Jack's bed. She looked around the room, wrinkling her nose at the sight of dust. She was quiet, and sat completely still. She didn't seem human, not with her perfect stature and ability to stay that still. Jack looked her over, something about her reminded him of someone. Someone close to him._

"_Do you know who I am Jack?" The woman asked, her head snapping to the side. He could tell that she had been educated, by her choice of words and elegant speaking voice. She even looked like one of the elite. Jack nodded, trying to focus on her question._

"_You're…. you're Mattie's mom." Jack said. She smiled brightly at him._

"_I knew you were smart." She stood, holding out her hand to him. "You may call me Francesca."_

"_Francesca." Jack replied politely, taking her hand and lightly shaking it. She smiled again, giving Jack a reassuring squeeze. Jack knew he was dreaming, he had to be. That wasn't the question. The question was, why was she here?_

"_You must be wondering why I am invading your slumber." She said. It was then that Jack noticed the slight Spanish accent to the woman's voice. It wasn't strong, or thick, probably because of the woman's constant use of English. However, it was still evident in her voice, something Mattie had lost after years of being around uneducated street kids. _

"_Well…" Jack said, still not knowing what to say. What should he say to his best friend's deceased mother? Hey, how're you doing? What's it like to die? Is heaven and hell real? Where were you sent? None of those seemed appropriate to ask, so Jack was stuck at the mercy of the phantom woman before him._

"_I do not have much time, so I'll cut to the chase." She said. "Matilda came to my grave site yesterday."_

"_Oh? She hasn't done that in a long time." Jack said, Mattie's full name sounding weird coming through his ears. Francesca nodded._

"_This is true. Do you want to know what prompted her to come to me?" She asked. Jack hesitated, but nodded slightly. "She came to speak to me about… you."_

"_Me?" Jack asked, eyebrows furrowing._

"_Yes, you. She wanted advice, about… well I will not tell seeing as it is not my business. However, she was confused and upset. So, today I watched on as she spoke to you about your… current employment." _

_Jack swallowed, nodding. She had been watching, meaning she had heard and seen everything he had said to Mattie. That meant only one thing; Mattie's mother had come to lecture him. He didn't need a lecture from a dead parent to know what he did was low down, and cruel. However, no one seemed to think that he might actually be trying to help everyone. Keep them safe._

"_Listen, I know what I did was-" Jack said, but was cut off when Francesca raised her perfect hand._

"_I am not here to yell at you, Jack. While my daughter's feelings about you are none of my business, her well-being is." She said. Feelings? What feelings? Jack tried not to look into it, because that could mean anything. He shook his head. _

"_That's what no one seems to get. I'm doing this, to protect her. To protect all of them." Jack admitted. Francesca smiled, taking a few steps forward._

"_I know, and I appreciate that. However, your actions have caused pain in my child." She said. "She cries for you, because you are the one who was there for her after my death. You were the one who picked up her broken pieces. You are the one she cares most deeply about. And now, you are not there."_

_Jack stood there silently. He knew he had hurt her feelings, but not so bad that she would cry. He never wanted her to cry over him. She wasn't one to cry, so he must have done more harm than good in this situation, but didn't he know this? He had come to the conclusion that in making this decision he would be doing what was best for his friends. However, now, hearing Francesca speak, she was putting even more doubt into his mind. Either way, someone would get hurt._

"_I didn't have much of a choice." Jack mumbled. Francesca placed both of her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. She had a kind face, that made Jack feel slightly better. He realized why Mattie missed her mom so much. Jack's mother hadn't been perfect, she wasn't around a lot. She would make excuses to get out of the house to avoid his father's rage. Then she left him, hanging herself without any warning, without any goodbye. Francesca was like the mother Jack always wanted. He just wished that he had known her before she has passed._

"_You always have a choice Jack. Some decisions are hard, like the one you have had to face." She said, pushing a lock of his hair out of his eyes. "And I'm sorry to say that some of these decisions only get harder."_

"_Great." He muttered. She laughed, a beautiful musical laugh that reminded him so much of Mattie. _

"_Do you believe you made the right decision?" She asked. Jack hesitated, having to think about his answer. _

"_I thought so, but now I'm not too sure." He replied. Suddenly a bright light shown behind her. She sighed before grabbing hold of Jack and pulling him into a hug._

"_I'm out of time. Follow your heart Jack. It will lead you into the right direction." She said, releasing him. She smiled at him before turning and walking toward the blinding light. However, she turned back slowly._

"_Take care of her." She said. Jack swallowed, but nodded. She nodded as well before walking toward the light. In a flash she was gone, and Jack was alone yet again._


	23. Never Letting You Go

**Let me just tell you that reviews really do make my day. So keep them coming because the more I get the faster I update. Sorry I pulled that but I'm selfish haha! Thanks times a thousand to everyone who has already reviewed. My goal is to have 100 reviews before this story is over, so if you could help me out I would love you forever. But if it doesn't happen, I'll live!**

**I do not own Newsies.**

**Chapter 23**

Jack sat up in his bed with a jolt. A sheen of sweat was on his forehead, his hair matted to his face. His sheets were tangled around him uncomfortably. He jerked around, doing his best to get out of the pridon. He ended up on the floor, a tired growl coming from his mouth. He gradually got up holding his aching head.

That dream last night felt so real to him. Maybe it was, maybe he really did speak to his best friend's mother the night before. She had told him to listen to his heart. His heart was telling him to throw away these new clothes and go back to the newsies. Then again, his brain was screaming at him that if he did that, Mattie would be gone, and he didn't want that. He couldn't do that to her, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Up and at 'em Cowboy!" Weasel yelled down the stairs. Jack sighed, he still had some thinking to do about this whole situation. He would make his final decision that night, but until then he had a job to do. He pulled on his clothes slowly. He missed being able to wear his red bandana. He remembered when he had stolen it, it had been so new and beautiful. Now it was dirty and faded. Like his cowboy hat, it was a symbol of himself and the life he leads. Well led. He shuffled around his sack pulling out the hat and the bandana. He was lucky Pulitzer hadn't burned them.

He breathed out a breath putting the items down and heading up the stairs. He was buttoning up the grey jacket as he walked up the stairs. It was irritating, having to be careful with these clothes. He hated them, he hated what they had made him become. Once he was done with this he was going to rip them to shreds. As he walked outside, he could hear Weasel giving kids their papers. None of his friends were there, which he was glad about. He didn't want to face them again. He felt cowardly, but he couldn't bear to see their faces again. He could bear to see Mattie again. Not that she would want to see him again. She made it very clear that she was done with him. That slap proved it.

"Sleep well Cowboy?" Weasel asked. Jack didn't reply. He hadn't slept well in the sense that he had been talking to his best friend's mother all night. Maybe he was losing it. All this stress was getting to him.

"Hey, come with us, Cowboy. We're gonna' go fix up your pal Davey." Oscar Delancy said, a sneer on his face. "Fix him so he can't walk."

Jack sent a glare their way, but didn't do much more. Then Oscar leaned in, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Or maybe, I'll go fix up Dimples. She's looking pretty good, aint' she Morris?" Oscar said, smirking at Jack.

"I'd love to get my hands on her." Morris said. Jack lunged at them, his blood boiling. The thought of those two even near Mattie made him want to cave their skulls in. They ever touched her he would make sure they never saw the light of day again.

"Uh-uh. Lift one finger, and it's back to the refuge." Weasel threatened. Jack swallowed his anger. He didn't have much to worry about, Mattie could kick their asses any day. However, the threat still loomed, making Jack want to put something in the brother's food. Jack took the papers Weasel slid to him before stalking off. He wasn't in the selling mood today, so he would probably walk around, making sure Oscar and Morris didn't try anything.

* * *

Mattie had woken up in a daze. She hadn't gotten home until late last night. She had sat in her quiet little spot that whole day, frozen where she was. She didn't speak, she didn't cry, she didn't even think. Or at least she tried not to. It was hard, with everything happening, and her shattered being, she tried desperately to think of anything but the strike. Sometimes her mind would wander to good time, some with the boys, some with her mother, most with Jack. He had been so prominent in her life that it was kind of impossible not to think about him.

He had betrayed her, and she tried her best to be angry. She was angry, just not with him. She was angry that she couldn't bring herself to hate him like the rest of the boys had. She was so hopelessly in love with him that even after his betrayal she still longed for his affection. She felt pathetic and stupid. She had let him into her world, and he crushed it. Everything she had hoped and lived for, he broke. Even her heart. He shattered it into a million, tiny, un reparable pieces, and he didn't care.

She wanted so bad to just scream, but she couldn't find the voice for it. She was on the brink of insanity, and if she didn't let some of that anger out, she feared that she might be put into an institution. If this was what love did to a person, she didn't recommend anyone trying to fall in love. It was too painful, too hard. She had let herself go, and look where it had gotten her. She knew that hearts could be put back together, and time heals all wounds, but she didn't know how long it would take.

As a child, she could see that her mother never got over her broken heart after her father left. It must take a long time, especially after loving someone for as long as Mattie has loved Jack. It was going to be a long, bumpy ride, but she had to overcome it. She couldn't make Jack change his mind. She couldn't make him love her, so she would have to continue her journey in trying to get over him, slowly but surely. She could do it, she was strong. It would just take time and effort.

"Morning Dimples." A voice said. Mattie looked up from lacing her boot to see Mush peeking in through her door.

"Hey Mush." She replied, trying her best to not sound miserable.

"You doing okay?" He asked, in which she nodded. "Where you headed?"

She had no idea. She was planning on doing what she did the day before. Going until she found a spot to sulk. She couldn't stay in the lodging house much more or she would explode. Every time she moved she could feel eyes watching her, and every time a frown even graced her face, the boys were sick with worry. She appreciated that they were worried about her, because that meant they cared. However, she was feeling claustrophobic with all of the concern surrounding her. She had to do this on her own, and with the boys checking up on her every minute, she wouldn't be able to do that.

"A walk." She said simply. Mush nodded, looking her over, his eyes glazed with concern. She stood from her bed and walked over to him. She pulled the door wide open and granted him a smile. She had become so used to forcing smiles, she had become a natural at looking like she was okay even when she was dying inside. Mush smiled back, convinced that she was much better than yesterday. She patted his shoulder before walking out of her room. She told the others goodbye, doing her best to sound chipper about her day of solitude.

"Klopp I'm headed out." Mattie said as she made her way to the door.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kloppman asked. Mattie turned on her heel. Even Kloppman was worried about her. She smiled walking up to his desk.

"I need some time to myself." She told him.

"You've been alone an awful lot. It's not like you." He replied. She placed her hand on his, trying to reassure him that she would be fine.

"I just…. I don't know." She said. Kloppman sighed, coming around to the other side of his desk. He pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in his chest, swallowing back any tears.

"You're too tough for your own good." Kloppman said. She chuckled slightly before pulling back to look at the wrinkled man. "Promise me that you will stay safe."

"Of course." She replied.

"'Cause danger seems to follow you around like a magnet." He told her. She smiled again, shaking her head. With one last squeeze he released her. She went out, a frown coming to her face. She didn't have to put on a show for anyone anymore, so there was no need to force it. She shoved her hands in her pockets, kicking a can around. She didn't feel like running like she had the day before. She just wanted a simple walk, to clear her head. Kloppman was right, she was tough, and sometimes that wasn't a good thing. She tried so hard to not feel weak, that she was pushing herself too hard. She figured that at some point she would go nuts, or keel over before her time. At that point she didn't really care. Whatever happens, happens.

She walked down the street for a while, nothing out of the ordinary. Several shop owners tried to sell her things, but she didn't have a penny to her name. Her stomach growled, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. She hadn't even thought about food. Knowing her she would starve herself and not even realize it. She was that indifferent now.

"Run, Davey!" A female shrieked, knocking Mattie out of her trance. She turned to her left, hearing the sound of scuffling. She picked up her pace, seeing a small figure picking himself up. She recognized it to be Les. She felt her heart drop. She began running looking down the alley that Les had run into. What she saw made anger course through her veins, and her stomach drop.

Both Oscar and Morris Delancy were beating up on David. Her friend David. They were mercilessly throwing punched and kicking him. David didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight, either because he didn't know what to do or the odd's just weren't in his favor. Both Sarah and Les were cowering in a corner, Sarah holding on to her youngest brother for dear life. She had the most terrified look on her face, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Les looked up, seeing Mattie at the mouth of the alley and his eyes pleaded with her. She sent him a curt nod before running in.

"Hey Morris!" She said. Morris turned and she landed a good punch in the creep's eye. He flew backward, not expecting the blow. Once he had recovered he sent a bone chilling glare her way. He tried to land a punch to her face, but she dodged it gracefully. She had been in enough fights to know when to move. However, his next punch she didn't see coming. With his brass knuckles, he landed a good hit to her stomach.

"Oof!" She let out, gripping at her stomach. She couldn't feel the full pain yet, she was too angry, but she knew she would feel it later. She landed a swift kick to his shin, in which he grabbed. While Morris was busy whining, Mattie moved to Oscar. He was wailing on David, who was trying hard to defend himself as best he could. Mattie got a running start, jumping on Oscar's back. She covered his eyes with her hands, and he moved around wildly. David had fallen, doubled over in pain. Morris was still recovering from Mattie's hits, and Sarah was still screaming.

"Get offa' me!" Oscar yelled. Mattie simply held on tighter. She couldn't let them hurt David anymore, or his family. These creeps needed to be taught a lesson, a lesson they would never forget. Mattie locked her legs around Oscar's waist and closed her eyes. He was moving around so much it was making her dizzy. She had to be at full ability so she could protect her friends. However, she felt Oscar moving backward, so far that Mattie's back hit the wall so hard, her head was knocked backward, cracking her head on the brick.

Mattie let out a scream, releasing Oscar's eyes and her hold on his waist. Her hands flew to the back of her head, where she could feel the blood oozing out. She fell then, right onto her side. She growled in pain through her teeth at the impact, and she rolled over in agony. She felt hot, angry, painful tears fall from her eyes as she tried to make the stars go away. Everything was blurry, voices muffled. Sure Mattie had been hurt before, but she had never had such an injury. She felt like she was going to die, every movement she made sent pain through her.

She could vaguely hear someone speaking to her. It was female, so she guessed it was Sarah, but she couldn't decipher her words. She wanted to close her eyes and let go. Then she wouldn't have to think about this strike, Jack, or suffering anymore. She could be at peace, but there was something else inside her that was forcing her to keep fighting.

_Don't let go, _a voice in her head continued to repeat. It sounded a lot like her mother. She swallowed, trying her best to open her eyes. She had to fight, because she wasn't done here yet. She had so much more to live for, and it took a bonk on the head for her to realize it.

* * *

Jack was walking down the street, the newspapers over his shoulders. He ignored people as they tried to buy a paper from him. He refused to sell. He had so many things on his mind, he couldn't even think about selling. She he walked the streets, looking down, and ignoring everyone. It wasn't until someone knocked into him, that he came out of his trance. He sighed, about to move on when he heard scuffling.

"Mattie!" Someone shouted. He turned to his left, eyes gazing across the street. Down an alley way, he could vaguely see the Delancy brothers beating up on David. He could then make out Les sitting on the ground in fear, and Sarah was leaning over something. Upon further inspection, he found that it was actually a someone. Not just any someone. It was Mattie.

That was when Jack saw red. As he looked at Mattie, who was on the ground, clutching her head, and moaning in agony, all he could think about was killing the Delancys. He dropped his papers, running across the street, pushing people out of his way. Oscar had David in a head lock, and Morris was laughing, about to punch David in the face. However, Jack caught him and in turn punched him in the nose, hearing a satisfying crack.

David took his chance, elbowing Oscar in the gut, sending him doubling over in pain. Jack tossed Morris into some crates, before tossing him into the opposite wall. He then grabbed Oscar, holding him by his shirt. Oscar had fear all over his face, and in his eyes. Jack was so angry he could kill someone.

"You ever touch her again; I'll soak you so hard your grandkids will be born dizzy." He threatened, head butting Oscar and throwing him to the side. Jack then turned looking at Sarah, who was hovering over Mattie who still hadn't opened her eyes.

"You alright?" Jack asked Sarah. She nodded, standing up and hugging him. Jack didn't really return the hug, his eyes were locked on Mattie. He helped David up, who was also looking down at Mattie. The look of concern made Jack become even more worried.

"You better run, Cowboy. We're gonna' tell Uncle Weas." Morris said, picking his brother up. "You'll be back in the refuge by supper time."

"Run you lousy coward. Run!" Oscar said as Jack chased him off. He would have chased them all the way back to the distribution center if Sarah hadn't of caught his arm and yanked him back.

"Let it go." Sarah commanded. "She needs you."

Jack looked over Sarah's face, before nodding. He turned going down to his knee's right in front of Mattie. She looked in so much pain, and he could see the blood coating the back of her hair. He swallowed, regretting ever taking Pulitzer's offer. He had broken his promise to her mother. His promise to her. He let her get hurt, again, and unlike the other one she might not be able to walk away with just a bruise.

"Mattie. Mattie, it's Jack." Jack said. He picked up her head, gently cradling it. Sarah took off the sweater she had draped over her blouse and put it under her head. He placed her head into his lap, taking her hand in his left hand. Her eyes were still closed, and he feared that they would never open.

"Mattie… please. Open your eyes…. I'm sorry… for everything I said… everything I did…. Just…. You can't leave me… Please… Please." His voice trailed into a whisper. Everyone was silent, watching her intently.

"Is she goin' to be alright?" Les asked, looking up at Sarah. She bit her bottom lip looking at her youngest brother. She then looked to David, whose eyes were locked on Mattie. She sighed, just pulling Les to her side, in a way of comfort.

"C'mon Mattie…. Wake up! I'm beggin' ya! I already lost you once…. I'm not going to lose you again." Jack said, the last part more in a whisper. He hated himself. If he had been with her, none of this wouldn't of happened. David wouldn't have gotten hurt, and Sarah wouldn't be terrified. Jack felt one lone tear fall down his cheek.

Then, her face twitched. Jack felt his hope restore as he watched her slowly open her eyes. She looked around, every face she recognized. From what she could tell they were all fine, which was a good sign. Another good sign was that she could remember everything. That meant that her memory wasn't messed up from the hit to the head, although it still hurt like hell. Then her eyes landed on Jack. Her head was still in his lap, and her small hand still in his. She felt her heart leap, and a smile formed on her face.

"Hiya Cowboy." She said, her voice slightly raspy. Jack let out a breath of relief, gently pulling her into his arms for a hug. He made sure to watch her head, and she tried not to wince at the gesture.

"I thought I lost you." He whispered into her hair. He was so thankful that she was alright. If something more had happened to her, he didn't know what he would do.

"You can't get rid of me that easy." She replied, doing her best to wrap her arms around him. He chuckled, before pulling back to look at her.

"I'm sorry." He told her. She looked him over, appraising his face. She could see that he was telling the truth. The guilt and remorse were written all over his face. She didn't care what he had said, or what he did, he was back, and that was all that mattered. David on the other hand wasn't so moved.

"What? You couldn't stay away?" David asked bitterly. Jack looked up, seeing David holding his side.

"Well, I guess I can't be something I ain't." Jack replied.

"A scab?" David asked.

"No, smart." Jack replied. Mattie laugh a bit, but winced in pain. Jack looked down and sighed. He put one arm around her shoulders, and the other hooked under her knee's. He carefully stood up, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Jack, I can walk." She said, trying to wiggle from his grasp, but he tightened it.

"I'm not taking that chance." He replied. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Mattie swallowed, trying to forced her heart speed down. Jack smiled down at her, happy to have her back. He felt complete again, having her by his side. She could feel her heart piecing itself back together. She leaned her aching head against his shoulder and breathed out a sigh of pure content. Something had clicked between the two, something grand. Something that was going to change their relationship forever.


	24. Don't Let it Slip Through Your Fingers

**So guys this story is almost over, and it's kind of sad. However, I am proud that I have finally gotten this far and have had such great feedback! So thank every single person who has come across my story and stuck with it. You have no idea just how grateful I am that you even clicked on it! PLEASE READ! I am thinking after I have finished this story I might take requests for a One-Shot story. So if that's something you would like to see let me know!**

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 24**

Jack carried Mattie all the way to David's apartment. Sarah was fretting over Mattie's head, making sure Jack didn't jostle her. However, Jack was being very careful. He would never dream of hurting her. Never again. Mattie was struggling to keep her eyes open. All she wanted to do was sleep, but Jack continued to keep her awake. She would stay awake for him. She was so elated that he was back. She thought she had lost him forever. Now, he was back, and she didn't believe he was leaving anytime soon.

"We're almost there." Jack cooed down to her. She nodded, her head still leaning against his shoulder. She would have thought that he would have been tired by that point. She was thin, but Jack had been carrying her for a while. She thought that at some point he would have given up or taken a break. But Jack was strong, and didn't dare set her down. He wasn't going to let go of her ever again.

Something had clicked inside Jack. He had come to terms that he did care for Mattie more than a friend. He also came to terms that he was no good for her. However, something within him just wouldn't let him give up on her. He couldn't live without her. Seeing her in pain, had sparked something that wasn't just protectiveness. It brought on a hatred for anyone who would hurt her. If brought on even stronger feelings for her.

"Careful." Sarah ordered as they headed up the stairs of the apartment building. Les opened the door wide for Jack, as he slowly walked into the room. He set Mattie down gently on a chair, making sure she was able to sit up by herself. She rolled her eyes. Sarah rushed into the bathroom and returned with a cold wet cloth. She handed it to Mattie who dabbed at the back of her head. She winced, but knew that she would have to clean the injury sometime.

"What now?" David asked, staring directly at Jack. He was still a little bitter about Jack's surprise arrival. Not just because David didn't think he could trust him anymore, but also about the fact that he was the one who saved Mattie, while David just got beat up on. David couldn't help but notice the way Jack watched Mattie and held her tightly. It bothered him. He wished he was the one holding her and telling her everything would be alright. He wanted to be her knight in shining armor.

"We should probably go talk to the others." Les said confidently. Jack shook his head.

"If I show my face there they are going to soak me." Jack replied.

"I'm sure if you explain-" Sarah began.

"They aren't one's for listening." Mattie cut her off. "Jack's right we are going to have to do this ourselves."

They all sat there in silence, thinking hard. Mattie looked around the room, thinking that maybe something would pop out at her and give her an idea. She wasn't having much luck until she looked down at the table. A sheet of white crumpled paper sat there. Written in black ink the paper was titled _"The Dark Truth: Why Our City Really Fears the Newsie Strike" By Bryon Denton. _Mattie's eyebrows furrowed. She could have sworn David would have thrown that away. She looked up at the boy who was still holding his side in pain. He was very concentrated, glaring at the floor. Mattie's eyes then scanned the article. It was beautifully written, something she could only dream of thinking up. Denton really had tried to help them. It was all about their fight. Denton most likely just got shut down and feared losing his job.

"Jack." Mattie said, her hand shooting out to grab hold of his. "Look at this."

Jack looked over the paper, just as shocked as Mattie was. He had overheard Weasel talking about how Denton had abandoned the newsies, much like he had. He read it, slower than Mattie had, but he had to agree that it was well written and to the point. Denton had always been on their side.

"Dave did you read this?" Jack asked. David didn't speak, he just shook his head. "Maybe you should."

Jack held out the paper to him. All eyes were on David's unmoving form. He had refused to have anything to do with Denton. He had betrayed them. Then again so had Jack, and he came back. However, Denton had made it perfectly clear that he was done. He was leaving Manhattan. David saw no need to read the article because it didn't matter. He was also very bitter over the subject.

"Why should I?" David asked. Jack huffed standing. He walked up to David the paper still held out to him.

"Because it could save our asses." Jack replied. Sarah giggled slightly at the use of language, while Mattie just rolled her eyes. David and Jack had a stare off, both boys glaring at the other. David had put up such a wall in such a short amount of time, that it was going to be hard to break. First, he had lost Jack, a person he saw as a friend. David had never had a best friend, and Jack was probably the closest he was ever going to get. Then David lost Denton, a person who he looked up to. David had been let down, so far that he never wanted to feel like that again.

"Please David." Mattie's voice cooed, causing David to turn to his left. He hadn't noticed she had gotten up. He looked her over. She seemed to be alright, and able to stand on her own. She just looked extremely tired. David stared at her, those brown eyes pleading with him to read the article. He sighed, taking the paper from Jack. Mattie's face broke out into a smile, one so contagious that David had to return it. Jack and Denton may have broken his ability to trust, but he still trusted Mattie.

As David read over the paper, Jack had practically forced Mattie to sit back down. Her head was still throbbing and if she made a jerky movement she felt pain, but she wasn't helpless. She was still independent, like she always had been. And Jack was still his over protective self, trying to make sure she didn't hurt herself. She sighed, she should have been used to his antics, but she still tried to portray to him that she wasn't a porcelain doll. However, she knew after today, he was probably still going to act this way, maybe even worse.

Jack smiled at her, seeing her obvious irritation. He couldn't believe that even after getting into a fight, and getting a head injury that she could still look that beautiful. Granted, her eyes had dark circles underneath and they were puffy from tears, then her clothes were covered in dirt, and her hair was in intricate tangles. He realized that even if she looked like death, she would still be beautiful to him. Not only physically, but all throughout. She shouldn't have welcomed him back with open arms. She shouldn't have been helping him. She should hate him, and she should have run away. But she didn't. She stayed by his side, like she always had. It was another reason why Jack didn't see himself fit to even be near her.

She was an angel. Maybe that was what she was. His guardian angel, sent to make sure Jack didn't do something stupid, and help clean up his messes. Sure she had her faults, who didn't? But she was perfect for him. Jack felt his heard hammering in his chest as he stared at her. No one else could do this to him, and frankly he didn't want anyone else to.

She must have felt eyes on her because Mattie turned from watching David, to see Jack watching her. Her cheeks erupted into a deep red blush. Jack smirked as he continued his stares at her. She bit her bottom lip, looking away from him. However, she could still feel his eyes on her. She felt self-conscious, wondering why in the world he was looking at her. She probably looked terrible, in no way shape or form presentable. However, he continued to stare, as if he physically could not look away. Mattie dared another glance at him.

He looked the same, but the emotion on his face was foreign to her. She had never seen that look on Jack's face before. It wasn't bad, in fact she liked it. She swallowed looking back to him. She smiled at him, and with all the courage she could muster she leaned in slightly.

"You're staring." She whispered, so low as to not call attention to the two. Jack smirked, feeling her sweet breath hit his face as she spoke. His eyes cascaded over her lips, those pink, plump lips. Then they returned to her eyes.

"I know." He replied in the same tone. Mattie's smile faded as his words sunk in. She found herself looking all over his face, searching for any sign that he was joking. She found no humor on his face, she only found a look of longing and adoration. She swallowed again, feeling her heartbeat in her ears. She could feel his hot breath on her face. They had never been this close, and she had never wanted to kiss him so badly before. Suddenly, his hand brushed her cheek, causing an electric shock of passion to flow through her. She had never seen Jack like this before, not with anyone. She watched as he began moving closer to her. She braced herself for whatever was to come, but then everything came to a screeching hault.

"Wow." David said. Jack stiffened, leaning back from his position. Mattie followed suit, but her face was still hot. Had Jack almost kissed her? Impossible.

"I told you!" Sarah replied. The group then fell into silence again. Jack looked everywhere but Mattie. He couldn't believe he had almost kissed her. He had the full intent of kissing her until David had spoke. Maybe that was a good thing, however, was it just him or did she look like she wanted to kiss him too? Jack ran a hand through his hair, sighing. Mattie watched him, feeling ashamed of herself. She had read too much into his gestures. She couldn't believe after all this time, she was still where she started. Still loving someone who could never love her back. It made her heart ache more than her head.

"What do we do now?" Les asked. Jack stood, looking to David. David was still angry looking, mostly because he had caught sight of both Mattie and Jack moving away from their compromising position. It made his blood boil, but he knew he shouldn't read too much into it. Jack had pulled away, which suited David just fine. However, he couldn't shake the look that now adorned Mattie's face. She was sad, hurt, disappointed.

"We go talk to Denton that's what." Jack replied. "You in?"

David looked at Jack, determination written all over his face. Jack looked serious, and not about to back out again. It couldn't hurt to try talking to Denton. They had to finish what they started.

"I'm in." David replied.

"Me too!" Les said excitedly. David looked to Mattie, who sat there looking at Jack's back. David swallowed all anger and hurt away, giving her a smile. She smiled weakly before nodding.

"Alright then, let's go." Jack said. He turned and was about to pick up Mattie like he had before, however, she stopped him. She stood on her own, barely feeling any pain. She stared right into Jack's disappointed eyes before speaking.

"I got it." She replied, trying to mask any hurt that may shine through her words. She then walked to the door, careful not to move too quickly. Les and David were hot on her tail, while Jack stood there like a lost puppy. He hadn't realized what he did wrong. He always seemed to do something wrong. He huffed about to follow then but stopped when a soft hand went to his arm.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked. Jack turned seeing her look of concern. Jack hadn't known, he had been too lost in Mattie's gaze, but Sarah had seen their whole encounter. It hurt her, because she still had that hope that Jack would chose her. However, she saw the look that Mattie and Jack had given one another. It was the look her parents gave one another. The look of everlasting love.

"I'm fine." Jack lied.

"Lying is a sin Jack." She replied, a mischievous grin on her face. Jack chuckled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Does it have to do with sinning?" He asked. Sarah rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Her face then became serious.

"Don't let love slip through your fingers. If it's real, hold on tight." She said. Jack's eye brows furrowed, causing Sarah to giggle. "And next time you try to kiss a girl… don't pull away."

Jack's jaw dropped, but no words came out. He was speechless. He had no idea that Sarah had seen his little encounter with Mattie. Nor did he want advice about it.

"Jack are you coming?" Les' voice came through the room.

"Yeah." Jack replied, still watching Sarah. She smiled pushing him out of the room.

"Go." She said as she pushed him into the hallway. She was about to close the door when Jack turned back to look at her. He was smiling now, and didn't look so confused.

"Thanks Sarah." He said. She smiled and nodded. He then took off down the hallway. She sighed, knowing that she had helped, which was all she could ask for. She just prayed that Jack took her advice to heart.


	25. Beaten by a Bunch of Street Rats

**Hey guys so this is the second to final chapter of my story! It's kind of bittersweet, but I am really glad to finish it. Again, if you would enjoy for me to make a One-Shot story about this story, please let me know. Also, please send me requests of what you want to see, whether it be Mattie and Jack, or how David's future goes. I have barely any limits on characters, ratings, or scenes sooooo please let me know!**

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 25**

The trip to Denton's apartment was a silent one. Mattie was afraid to open her mouth, in fear of what might come spewing out. Her bottled up emotions were threatening to come out. She wasn't angry at him; in fact she was more upset at herself. She let her want for him cloud her judgment. She felt pathetic and naïve. She was stupid to think that anything could ever happen. She thought she had gotten over that, but apparently she was extremely mistaken.

Jack had taken the lead, the article in his hand. His fists were clenched and his jaw was set tight. He was fighting himself inside. He was trying to think of the task at hand. He had to convince Denton to help them, in a last ditch effort to win this strike. He owed everyone that. He wanted to finish what he had started, because he knew that if he didn't no one else would. On the other hand, he was trying not to think about Mattie. However, it was hard when she was all he thought about anyway.

He wanted so bad to turn around and take Mattie into his arms, never letting her go. He wanted to kiss her until she world stopped turning. He wanted to love her like she should be loved. He sneaked a peek behind him to see her walking with her head hung low. She was probably just watching were she was walking, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he did that to her. Oh, he hated hurting her.

He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. He had work to do. Besides he didn't want to have a serious, emotional conversation with the Jacob brothers watching. He wasn't too with emotion, especially this emotion. He wasn't even sure he was ready for that conversation. Then again, he had almost kissed her. Then he had pulled away. It was as if his body and his brain weren't connected. It was like the universe was against him.

"Are we there yet?" Les whined. Mattie cracked a smile before pulling the kid to her side. She wouldn't admit it, but she was tired too. Her head was hurting, and she really needed to sit down. However, she wasn't one to complain, especially after she made a big deal about her walking by herself. She just didn't want to be that close to Jack right then. She would have said or done something stupid.

"Almost kid." Jack replied. Mattie shivered at Jack's voice. The group made their way to a nice looking apartment building. Going through the front, they noticed people watching them or looking at them with disgust. Mattie rolled her eyes, not letting their stares get to her. She held onto the hand railing as they went up, fearing that she would fall backward. She was trying not to become dizzy, but her head was beginning to hurt once more. They reached the floor of Denton's apartment and walked up to the large black door. Jack reached up and began beating on it. Not a second later, Denton's face appeared at the door.

"Did you mean what you wrote here?" Jack asked as soon as the door opened. "About all these sweatshop kids listening to me?"

"I don't write anything I don't mean." Denton replied, slightly taken aback, but not completely shocked that they had paid him a visit. Denton looked over the group. His eyes rested on Mattie who looked exhausted. She was the only one who smiled at him out of the group.

"Well, come on in. I was just packing a few things." Denton said. The newsies shuffled in seeing several boxes cluttering the apartment. David looked at Denton with a serious look before closing the door. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be there. Then again, he wasn't exactly thrilled about Jack being back either. He was still annoyed about this Mattie situation. Why couldn't she see that he was good for her? He had never exactly noticed just how much she cared about Jack. It hit him on the way over, as he watched her stare at Jack and then look away sadly. There was something he was missing, and he was irritated that he couldn't figure it out.

"So yes, I meant it." Denton said. "The city thrives on child labor. A lot of people make money that way. They're terrified that the newsies strike will spread."

"There's not much chance of that… as long as they got the power." Jack said turning and looking at Mattie. He surprised her by grabbing her arm, and forcing her into a chair. She said nothing, but rolled her eyes. However, she didn't get back up. Mostly because she was too tired to get up, but she also knew that no matter if they were speaking or not, Jack would have her best interests at heart.

"Sometimes all it takes… it's a voice." Denton began, catching everyone's attention. " Once voice that becomes a hundred and then a thousand… unless it's silenced."

"Why can't we spread the strike?" Jack asked, watching Denton take a picture off the wall. "Have another big rally and get the word out to all the sweatshop kids? Why not?"

"What are we gonna' do? Put an ad in the paper?" David asked. Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed at David's constant bitterness and the obvious tension between the two. He knew that David was far from trusting him again, but that wasn't the only thing bothering him.

"We'll do better than that. We'll make out own paper." Jack said.

"Our own paper?" Mattie asked, finally speaking. Jack looked down at her with a nod.

"Yeah. We tell 'em they gotta' join us. Isn't that a good idea?" Jack asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, it is. But what do we know about printing a newspaper?" David asked looking directly at Denton.

"Nothing, but our man Denton-" Jack began.

"Yeah, but I think our man Denton, had something more important to do." David said circling around the middle aged man. "I mean, he's gonna be an ace war correspondent. Right Denton?"

The room was silent for a second. All eyes were on Denton. He was smirking, looking at David. He was slowly but surely being roped back in, and he really didn't mind. David cracked a smile, something he hadn't done in a while. Mattie stood giving Denton a pleading look. They couldn't do this without them.

"All right." Denton said with a chuckle. "Where do we start?"

"We gotta' move fast." Jack said, taking a seat next to Mattie. She tried not to let the fact that his arm was barely touching hers get to her. She was going to help out, and thinking about Jack and her painful feelings for him were not going to help.

"We're gonna' need to newsies to circulate." Jack said.

"We're also gonna' need a printin' press." Mattie added. The dull pain in the back of her head wasn't bothering Mattie anymore. She was all business now. Besides, she wouldn't let an injury get to her.

"Just so happens, I know a guy with a printing press." Jack said. Mattie looked over at him confused. Jack looked at her too, not being able to hold back the chuckle that escaped his lips. She looked do darn cute when she was confused.

"Pulitzer's got one in the basement I've been staying in." Jack replied, looking back to Denton. " I'm sure he wouldn't mind us using it."

"I like the way your brain works." Denton said. The group wrote out what their paper was going to say, and set up a plan. Les would go tell the newsie's and then they would hand the papers out to every child laborer they knew. They would get all the poor kids in town to join them. Then they couldn't lose. Once they had their plan, they set it in motion. Jack took them to the distribution center. Being careful not to make much noise as he took them to the basement.

"You've been living here?" Mattie asked horrified. This was no place she would want to stay. Jack gripped her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Shhh. They're above us." Jack replied. She closed her mouth, making it go into a straight line. Jack chuckled. He led them to an object that was covered in a dusty sheet. He pulled the covering off to reveal the press he had discovered.

"All right! A platen press." Denton said, excited to see such a gem. "Looks like old man Pulitzer never threw anything away."

"Will it work?" Mattie asked.

"It better. We have a deadline." Denton said with a grin. Mattie smiled at him as well. Denton was the one to get everything set up, giving the kids all different jobs. All the while they had to be quiet. Denton did most of the work, seeing as he was around this all the time. David gradually felt himself relax, seeing that Denton was in this again. So was Jack. He may have been confused about Mattie, and then there was Mattie and Jack, but he was still proud to be doing this. He was making a difference, something he never expected himself to do.

While Denton and David worked on writing the paper out, Jack and Mattie manned the press. On opposite sides, both were trying hard to focus on their job. However, both continually caught looks at the other. Only a handful of times did their eyes actually meet, but they responded with a smile. Mattie knew that she shouldn't be looking at him, and should focus on not messing up. However, she continually felt her eyes go up to him without her permission. Jack felt the same tug every time he thought about their almost kiss. What would it have been like to actually kiss her? He could only imagine, because right now he was busy. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't sneak peeks at her.

Light beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. She wiped at it, continuing to pump the press. She couldn't imagine doing this day in and day out. She could feel her legs becoming tired, and her head was throbbing again. Her hand involuntarily went to the back of her head, where her injury was. She winced at it's tender feeling.

"You alright?" A voice asked from across her. She looked up to see Jack had stopped, and was looking at her with pure concern. She sighed.

"I'm fine." She replied. He watched her as her hand dropped from the back of her head and she continued her work. Jack started up again as well, but his eyes never left her.

"I should kill 'em." He muttered. Mattie let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head.

"You can't kill everyone Jack." She said with a smirk.

"Anyone who hurts you I could." He replied. She felt her cheeks heat up, trying not to look at him. She could feel his eyes on her, but she stayed strong and didn't look up.

"You worry too much." She said, using the line he used to tell her all the time.

"You don't worry enough." He said, using her line that she would always come back with. That was when she looked up. He was smirking at her, and his eyes were twinkling. She bit her bottom lip before shaking her head. It was inevitable that she would have fell for him. How could anyone not fall for him? She was just the lucky one who ended up being his best friend. Her smile faded, as she thought about it. She couldn't imagine that this was healthy, her obsession. Then again, he had saved her life, so maybe a little obsession was okay. She shook her head again, trying to focus.

As the papers became complete, Mattie took on the job of tying them together. She tied them into bundles of fifty or so, sometimes more. They had done a lot of work, and she was proud of it. The sun had started to rise when the newsies that she knew and loved began showing up. They said their greetings and told Jack they were glad to have him back. Mattie passed them papers, telling them to get moving.

"Pushy!" Racetrack said, in which she smacked him a good one. Once everyone had gotten enough papers, the group snuck through the window, setting off to give their own papers away. Mattie was about to go off in one direction, but Jack caught her arm.

"Where are you goin'?" He asked. Mattie gave him a confused look before jutting her thumb in the direction she was heading. "We're still partners right?"

Mattie cracked a smile, letting out a laugh before nodding. Jack smiled back, steering her in the opposite direction. He wasn't letting her out of his sight for one second. Just in case the Delancy's or some creep came along. He was going to be there. He also wanted things to go back to normal, like before this strike had happened. But not before his feelings burst. He didn't want that to go away. He liked the way she made him feel, even though it confused him to no end. He just hoped that one day he would get to tell her about them.

Jack and Mattie worked hard together, working in perfect synchronization. They gave all their papers out in less than an hour. Hundreds of kids and even adults were reading their paper, learning about their strike. They even put in a part about the refuge and how corrupt it was. Jack had a grand time ranting and raving about that one. On every corner you saw one of their papers. It was hard for Mattie to believe that she had been a part of this. She never imagined she would be part of something so amazing, so revolutionary. Denton even took one of the papers to the governor, something that sparked excitement into the newsies. If they could get the governor on their side, they would be unstoppable.

* * *

It was already light outside, the sun beaming down on them as they waited. It had been hours since they had given out the papers, and no one had shown up. They just sat around, wondering where they went wrong. Mattie was feeling even more exhausted than she was the night before. She needed sleep, but there was no way she was sleeping until she found out if the other kids were coming.

"So when's the others comin'?" Mush asked forlorn. He already knew the answer, but he didn't want to say it out loud.

"They aint' coming. Ain't gonna be nobody but us." Jack said angrily. Mattie looked up from her seat on the statue. She hated seeing him upset. In all honestly she had given up hope as well, fearing the worst. If these kids didn't show up, Jack was going straight back to the refuge. She swallowed back her tears, watching the other newsies console Jack. However, he wasn't having any of it. He walked right up to Mattie, looking up at her right in the eye.

"You think we did the right thing?" He asked. Mattie sat there, looking at him. He looked defeated, burnt out. She hated seeing him like that. He had always had such a fire inside of him. It was Pulitzer who blew it out. It was Pulitzer that she hated.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." She replied.

"You think I made a good leader?" He asked. She felt herself smile.

"You are a hell of a leader." She told him. He forced a smile before taking her hand. Their eyes locked and she found herself pulling him in. His head rested in the crook of her neck as she held onto him. His arms wrapped around her waist. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. He would be happy if the world just stopped. That way he could stay in her arms forever. Never having to think about anything, but her again.

"_When the circulation bell starts ringin' will we hear it?" _Les sang. Mattie pulled back, much to Jack's dismay and she looked over at the boy. Les had never given up, not even when everything looked hopeless. He had been the one to keep everyone's hope up when they were low.

"Nah." Racetrack said, patting Les on the back.

"_What if the Delancy's come out swingin' will we hear it?" _Racetrack said. Jack smiled, releasing his hold on Mattie and walking up to the boys.

"No!" Les replied. He had seen the Delancy's come out swinging, and he wasn't going to let it happen again. Not when it came to his family, biological and extended.

"Atta boy." Racetrack said patting his head. Jack and the others came up behind them, grouping together. Whether or not they won this strike, they were a family. They had fought their hardest, and they were strong. If anything came out of this, they all formed a bond that would never be broken. They would always remember when they fought for their rights. They would always remember the newsie strike.

"Look!" Blink said, pointing. Everyone turned to see a large group of kids, coming their way. Different child workers of every sort were creating a mob, singing and cheering. They had come.

"_When you've got a million voices singing who could hear a lousy whistle blow?_

_And the world will know!"_

The newsies broke out into cheers, hugging one another and throwing their hands in the air. Despite Mattie's head ache she pushed her way through the boys. That was when she found Jack. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him. He was shocked at first, but eventually put his arms around her as well. She pulled back a large smile on her face. Their eyes locked and both of their faces burst into grins. They stared at one another for the longest time, Mattie wondered how long they actually had been staring. However their moment was short lived when adorable little Les cut in and hugged Mattie around the waist.

"Brooklyn!" Could be heard echoing off the walls. Mattie turned to see the newsie's who had abandoned them only days ago were back, led by none other than Spot Conlon. Mattie laughed shaking her head. Spot would be one to come in at the last minute. As the group began getting larger, Mattie could feel her heart well up with joy. They had done it. They had become an unstoppable force. A force to be reckoned with.

"_The world will feel the fire and finally know!" _The group cheered, pointing it directly toward Pulitzer's office. Jack took Les and put him on his shoulders, pulling Mattie along with him. He cleared a path, doing his best to get to the front.

"Dear me. Look at that." Racetrack said. Coming outside was Pulitzers assistant. He looked among the crowd, catching Jack's eye. Once he saw him, he motioned for him to follow. Jack slipped Les off his shoulders and motioned for David to follow him. Mattie caught his arm, causing Jack to halt. He thought she was going to tell him that she was going too, but instead she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Be careful." She whispered. He pulled back and sent her a grin.

"Aren't I always?" He said. She rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. She released him, and watched as he and David headed inside. She sighed once they were in there. She didn't know what Pulitzer was going to say or do to them. She just hoped that he didn't have a bunch of bulls in there to arrest everyone on his command.

"Jack and Mattie sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-" Racetrack began, but Mattie elbowed him in the gut. The boys around erupted in laughter, but it didn't go unnoticed that she hadn't denied it. She was done denying everything. She was done lying to them. She was done lying to Jack. And she was done lying to herself.

* * *

Inside Jack and David were led into Pulitzers office. One of Pulitzers workers was talking in hushed tones, talking about how bad the strike was. Jack smirked, coming into the office confidently. David was trailing behind him, but both knew that they couldn't show how scared they were.

"Extry! Extry! Joe." Jack said putting the paper down on Pulitzers desk. "Read all about it."

Pulitzer looked at the paper on his desk, the paper that started this whole mess. He was thinking just how much he wanted to send this Jack Kelly back to the refuge. Or worse, send his little female friend away. That would hurt, a below the belt blow.

"I promised that if you defied me, I would break you." Pulitzer said, looking up at Jack with a threat in his eye. "I'll keep that promise boy. I gave you the chance to be free. I don't understand. Anyone who doesn't act in his own self-interest…. Is a fool."

Jack stood there his arms crossed. He didn't say a word. It was David who spoke up.

"Then what does that make you?" He asked, taking a step closer. He was tired of being quiet. He had learned that he was good at speaking, all he had to do was let it out.

"What?" Pulitzer asked, surprised that David actually spoke.

"This is my pal, David." Jack introduced as David walking up to stand next to Jack. "The walking mouth."

"You talk about self-intrest, but since the strike… your circulation has been down 70%. Every day you're losing thousands of dollars… just to beat us out of one lousy tenth of a cent. Why?" David asked.

"Well, you see it ain't about the money Dave." Jack spoke up. "If Joe gives in to nobodies like us, that means we got the power. He can't do that no matter what it costs. Am I right, Joe?"

Pulitzer smirked as he smoked on his cigar. He wouldn't let them see just how scared he was. He still had the upper hand in this. He wouldn't lose to a bunch of kids.

"I sent for the police. They must be here by now." Pulitzer said, looking directly at Jack. "And you're little friend… I have her arrangement's already made."

David's eyes set on Jack in confusion. Jack's jaw set and he sent a bone chilling glare to Pulitzer. Over his dead body would Mattie be sent anywhere. He would run away with her if he had to. Hide her somewhere. He die for her. It was then that Jack realized that he loved her. All of his feelings, they were love for her. Jack was in love with Mattie. It just took him until then to realize it.

"Send me to jail, Joe. I don't care. But If you think you're going to send her anywhere you're gonna' have to go through me." Jack said, his voice completely deadly.

"Me too." David replied, catching on to the _her_ they were talking about. Pulitzer smirked, still believing he was winning.

"Besides, you can't win. Look out here. Right out here, is right where your power ends!" Jack said opening the window.

"Shut the windows! Close the windows!" Pulitzer yelled. The cheering entered his ears and he felt his throne crumbling. He was losing, and he knew it. "Stop that infernal noise! Go home! Go home!"

"I don't hear you Joe!" Jack yelled.

"Go home to your mothers and fathers! Go home! You listen to me!" Pulitzer shouted.

"I can't hear ya'!" Jack replied, just as loud. He wasn't giving in, not that quickly. "Maybe you should listen to me for a change!"

"No, you listen to me!" Pulitzer said, holding his hands over his ears.

"No, you should listen!" Jack said getting up into his face.

"Shut the window and shut up!" Pulitzer called. Jack wasn't having it.

"There's a lot of people out there! They ain't gonna' go away! They've got vices now, and they're gonna' be listened to." Jack said. "Putting me in jail isn't gonna' stop them. Sending her away is just gonna' make them angrier. That's the power of the press, Joe. "

Jack slammed the window shut, and Pulitzer's fingers came out of his ears. Jack walked back over to where Pulitzer sat and looked down at the defeated man. He was a coward. Nothing but a low life coward.

"Thanks for teachin' me about it." Jack said in a much calmer voice.

"Those kids put out a pretty good paper, chief." Pulitzer's assistant said, looking to his boss. Pulitzer pulled out his magnifying glass and began looking over the paper.

"I ordered a printing ban on all strike matters. Now who defied it? Whose press did you use to print this? Whose?" Pulitzer asked, still trying to win something.

"Well, we only used the best, Joe. So I just wanna' say, thanks again." Jack said. Pulitzer looked at him incredulously before swallowing his pride. A slight smile came to his face as he looked to Jack. He never imagined that he could be beat by a bunch of street rats.


	26. Finale

**Alright guys. FINAL CHAPTER! Holy crap, I just want to thank each and every person who came across my fic. I cannot thank you enough for that. I have been wanting to finish a story forever, and now that I have, I feel so accomplished. I worked really hard on this story and I hope it shows. **

**As I said before, I may do a One-Shot story if enough people want me to do it. I just need some requests of what you want to see and I'll see it gets done. PM me or review if you want to see it happen!**

**I do not own Newsies**

**Chapter 26**

Mattie paced around, waiting anxiously for Jack and David to return. By that point, Sarah had come along, trying her best to calm her down. However, it was all useless. Mattie wouldn't be okay until both boys came out safe and sound. She was giving herself a headache thinking too much. Her hand went to the back of her head, where her head was still tender. She cringed, but didn't pull away. The pain reminded her that they were still fighting, and that this wasn't just a dream.

"Hey fella's they're over here." Spot called. Mattie spun around seeing the gates open and David step out. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. He looked indifferent, emotionless. Mattie felt her feet move before he brain caught up with her. She sent herself flying over to him, right into his arms. She was so glad he was okay.

"Is everything okay? Where's Jack? What happened?" She asked. David simply shook his head, unwrapping her from him. She looked at him confused. Then suddenly everyone crowed around him, asking the same questions. Then Jack came out pushing his way through. Mattie eyed him the whole time, holding herself back from pushing herself into his arms. He leaned over, whispering something to Les. Mattie tried her best to hear, but he was to quiet. Then he put the boy on his back hoisting him up.

"We beat 'em!" Jack yelled. The crowd erupted into the loudest cheers they could yell. People hugged, kissed, even danced. They were elate with joy. Mattie felt a scream leave her mouth as she hugged her boys. They placed kisses on her cheeks and Blink even spun her around. They had never been so happy in their lives. They had won. They had fought, and they had won. There was no greater feeling than that.

Weasel and the Delancy's came through the crowd, being fired from their jobs. Mattie smirked as she watched the brothers. She put her foot out, making Morris, trip into Oscar, and then Oscar into Weasel. The boys laughed as they watched the miserable family pick themselves up and walk away with whatever dignity they had left. Suddenly, a police carriage pushed its way through the crowd.

"Jack! Jack it's the bulls. Let me down." Les said. Jack turned seeing the carriage held none other than Snyder on the front. Suddenly he reached out gripping Mattie's arm and pulling her to his side. He wasn't going to let her go for a second. He would run away with her if he had to. The boys then pushed Jack to run, but he was caught by Denton.

"No, Jack, it's over." Denton said gripping his shoulders.

"Let's go!" Racetrack said pulling on Jack, whose grip on Mattie tightened she knew she would have a bruise the next day.

"No, no, no! You don't have to run. Not anymore. Not from the likes of him." Denton explained. "Come on, come on."

Denton had to practically push Jack out of his hiding place, and his grip on Mattie never wavered. He was ready to bolt at any second. Mattie was more trusting of Denton, knowing that he wouldn't push them out there if there wasn't a good reason. Then suddenly, the police officer opened the back of the carriage, releasing it's cargo. Boys of all shapes and sizes piled out of the carriage. The last one being the most important.

"Crutchy!" Mattie shrieked excitedly. She watched as he friend hobbled out of the carriage, his signature grin on his face. Then the bulls pushed Snyder into the back of the carriage.

"Remember what I told you Mr. Snyder. The first thing you do in jail, make friends with the rats. Share what you got in common." Crutchy said. Snyder sent a glare his way before being pushed fully into the carriage. Crutchy then slammed the door on his face. The group erupted in cheers again. Mattie forced her arm out of Jack's grip running to her friend. She about toppled him over as she put her arms around him.

"Hiya Dimples." He said. She smiled as she hugged him.

"Hey Crutch." She said holding back tears of joy. Crutchy and Mattie walked back over to their group, where they all greeted their friend warmly.

"You won't be seein' much of him anymore." Denton said. Jack crossed his arms as he watched the man who made his life a living hell be carried away. He was glad to see him go where he belonged. Mattie watched too as she took her place at Jack's side.

"I guess there's no more runnin' for us." Mattie said watching the carriage roll away. Jack smiled looking down at her.

"What are we gonna' do for fun now?" He asked. Mattie let out a laugh, wrapping her arms around his torso. He placed his arm around her shoulder. Neither one cared anymore about looking proper or not feeling things. They were both done lying. They were going to be happy, something they haven't fully felt in a while.

"Aw Jack you shoulda' seen it. He come stormin' into the refuge wavin' his walkin' stick like a sword." Crutchy said, his animated voice causing Mattie to smile. "And he's leadin' this army of lawyers and cops-"

"Who comes walkin' in?" Jack asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You know, your friend, him!" Crutchy said pointing to a different carriage. "Teddy Roosevelt."

Both Mattie and Jack felt their jaws dropped as they looked at the man they had been lying about for years. Teddy Roosevelt was sitting right in the middle of the chaos, cheering with the kids. Mattie gripped Jack and smiled up at him. Jack was still in a state of shock, not really believing this was all happening.

"The governor's very grateful you brought this problem to his attention." Denton began. " I said you might need a lift somewhere. He's glad to oblige. Anywhere you want, and this time you ride inside."

"Could he drop me at the train yards?" Jack asked. Mattie looked up at him and felt her stomach drop. The train yards? That meant that he was leaving. Jack was going to Santa Fe. Jack was leaving her. He didn't even look down at her as he loosened his grip on her shoulders. She swallowed, not wanting to release him. If she let him go, he would leave her. She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him how she felt.

"Yeah, if that's what you want." Denton replied. Jack nodded, following Denton. He had grabbed Mattie's hand tugging her along with him. She tried to be happy, or at least look happy. However, her eyes found her feet and she just let Jack drag her. She had to think of what she was going to say, and how she was going to say it. Should she tell him? If she didn't she would regret it. But if she did, she might still regret it. She didn't have much time to think, because they stopped right in front of the carriage. He shook Mr. Roosevelt's hand and was about to climb into the carriage, when Mattie's hand slipped from his. He turned seeing her watching him sheepishly. He hadn't thought about this. As he watched her now, he realized that he wanted her to come with him. That way they could start fresh, and fall in love, like they are supposed to.

"Come with me." Jack said to her. Mattie's eyes searched his face. He was completely serious. She had dreamed of this ever since he told her about Santa Fe. Maybe he did care about her more than a friend. Or maybe he felt obligated to bring her along. She never wanted to be someone's obligation. She turned, looking at the boys who all watched her intensely. She couldn't leave her family. She loved them, and even though she loved Jack with all of her heart. She couldn't leave, and she couldn't make him stay.

"If you would have asked me a couple days ago, I would have hopped in that carriage before you even asked." She told him, feeling tears prick her eyes. "But I can't leave. These boys… their my family. I can't leave this place behind just yet."

Jack felt his heart sink at her answer. He looked her over and felt his heart start to break. He didn't know what he had expected her to say. He was asking her to uproot herself just to be with him. He guessed he understood why she was saying no. He just didn't know what he would do without her by his side every second. He loved her, and yet it was because he loved her that he was going to let her go.

"Santa Fe is your dream. Go live it." She urged. Jack didn't let go of his grip on her hand.

"So is this goodbye?" He asked, his unshed tears evident in his voice. Mattie swallowed, willing herself not to sob. She nodded fervently feeling her heart shatter once again. She reached up to him, pulling his head to hers. Their cheeks touched. Jack snacked his arms around her small waist, burying his face into her shoulder. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted to hold her forever. He wanted to tell her just how much she meant to him. However, he stayed silent.

"Take care of yourself." She whispered into his ear. She then placed a soft, long kiss to his cheek. He felt the sparks that it caused and felt his heart skip a beat as a result. She felt tears begin to form, but she turned away before he could see. She pushed her way through the crowd running away from the heart break. She could feel tears falling from her cheeks, but she knew this was for the best. She could never keep him. He wasn't hers. That didn't stop the heartache that set in.

* * *

Jack watched her run away and felt a lump form in his throat. However, he turned around climbing into the carriage. He had to let her go, so that way she could be happy. It may hurt, but he was strong. Just like her, he had to be strong. The boys called their goodbyes to him as the carriage began to roll away.

"Hello Jack. I'm Theodore." Mr. Roosevelt said.

"I know who you are." Jack said. Mr. Roosevelt chuckled settling in to his seat. Jack smiled, but it faded and he found himself looking back over his shoulder to catch any last glimpse he could of her. He had no such luck.

"Lost something?" Mr. Roosevelt asked. Jack turned back and shook his head.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be able to get her…. I mean it… back." Jack replied with a sigh. He looked down at his hands, feeling the heartbreak set in.

"Ah I see… was she your…" Mr. Roosevelt asked. Jack's head snapped up.

"No! Mattie and I…. well…. We're just…. I don't even know anymore." Jack admitted.

"Interesting…. So you love her." Mr. Roosevelt concluded. Jack felt himself laugh, but soon his smile faded. He looked back down and shook his head.

"It doesn't even matter anymore." Jack told him. Mr. Roosevelt put his hand on Jack's shoulder, forcing him to look at him.

"Can I give you some advice son?" Mr. Roosevelt asked. Jack shrugged. "In all my years I have learned that love is a confusing mistress."

"You're telling me." Jack replied. Mr. Roosevelt chuckled before he turned serious.

"What I am trying to say is that when you find love, you should hang on to it and never let it go." Mr. Roosevelt said. Jack stared at the older man for a second before nodding.

"So what you're saying is…." Jack trailed off. Mr. Roosevelt smiled at him before squeezing his shoulder.

"I believe that you have some things to take care of here. Don't you?" He asked. Jack felt himself smile as he nodded.

* * *

David swallowed hard as he watched Jack and Mattie head for the carriage. He wasn't just losing his best friend. He was also losing the girl of his dreams. He guessed he should have saw that coming. She had always and would forever be Jacks. It just took David a long while, and a lot of heartbreak to realize it. He sighed turning and looking to his siblings. Both Sarah and Les looked really upset. Les was even crying. David looked down, trying to keep himself strong.

"What's with all the glum faces?" A voice said. David looked up to see, Mattie, the girl of his dreams smiling at him. He felt his heart hammer in his chest as he looked at her. She didn't look all that happy, even with the smile she was forcing. Her eyes were beginning to turn red, from where he guessed she had been crying.

"You came back." David said astonished. Mattie let out a light, slightly pained laugh.

"Stupid decision right?" She asked. David shook his head.

"No. I'm glad you stayed." He said. Mattie felt a genuine smile come to her face. She then pulled David into a long, hard hug. He had always been there for her. Jack would always be her best friend, but she knew that David would be a good back up. He was a great guy, a good listener, and he cared about her. She cared about him too. He was like the brother that she wished she had.

She pulled back and then hugged Sarah. At first she had been very jealous of Sarah. Now, she seemed to be a good friend, like her brother. She was sweet and honest, something Mattie admired. Sarah may be the only girl she could actually get along with. Mattie pulled back from their hug to look down at Les. His eyes were filled with tears and he was looking up at her with a very pained expression. She let out a breath before kneeling in front of him.

"Hey… Les… look at me." She said, placing her hands on his shoulders. He did as he was told. "I need you to be strong. Jack would want you to be strong. Besides, I bet he'll visit."

"You really think so?" Les hiccupped. Mattie smiled at him and nodded.

"I know so." She replied. He nodded and she hugged the small boy. He was such a sweetheart. He brought out the nurturing side of her that had been locked away by her roughness. Suddenly, they heard the distribution bell start ringing. Mattie looked up and grinned. She stood patting Les on the shoulder.

"_Try Bottle Alley or the harbor." _Mush sang.

"Try central park it's garunteed." Race added sadly.

"_Try any banker, bum, or barber."_ Crutchy said.

"_They almost all knows how to read."_ Blink replied. Mattie sighed looking at her boys. They were sad about Jack's departure. She put her arm around Crutchy and gave him a grin.

"Come on boys. We've got papes to sell." Mattie said. They nodded at her following behind her back into the center. Mattie was trying her best not to let Jack's leaving get to her. Sure she was heartbroken and hurt, but she had things to do. She chose to stay, so she was going to make the best of it. Besides, she even said it herself. Jack would visit. And if he didn't she would make it her mission to get herself and the Jacob's kids down there.

"_Summer stinks-" _Boots began.

"_And winters waiting." _Skittery finished.

"_Welcome to New York." _Mattie added, trying her best to bring the boys spirits up.

"_Boy ain't nature fascinating, when youse gotta' walk!" _They all chorused. By that point they had all filed into the distribution center, David in the front. It was like old times, that is except Jack wasn't there. Mattie took in a deep breath. She may be upset, but she had a job to do. She wasn't going to let Jack down. She couldn't.

"One hundred papes." David said, slapping the money down in front of the new distributor.

"All right Davey." Mush said patting him on the back. Mattie shook her head, chuckling. She couldn't believe how far David had come. She remembered their first meeting. He was the annoying newbie who asked too many questions. Now, he was her friend, a good friend at that. He was her family. Mattie was about to order herself some papers, but the sound of indistinct cheering, caused her and everyone else to turn around.

"Jack!" Les shouted. Mattie felt her stomach drop.

"There's Jack!" Racetrack said.

"He's back!" Mush said gripping Mattie's shoulder in surprise. Mattie felt herself freeze as she watched the carriage she had just seconds ago ran away from, pulling right up into the distribution center. The boys were crowded around it cheering and greeting Jack, who was standing up a large smile on his face. Mattie felt her legs moving before her brain could comprehend anything. However, she stopped when a hand grabbed her forearm. She turned to see David, who looked pained.

"What's wrong?" She asked. David didn't know what made him stop her. He was pretty excited Jack was back too. However, he knew what was about to happen. He didn't want it to happen. His eyes searched her face, and all the words he had been planning to say dissolved on his tounge. She looked anxious and much too happy for his liking. He swallowed, and with a nod he let her go. She watched him a second before he waved her away.

"It can wait." He said. She smiled at him before turning on her heel and bolting for the crowd. David took a deep breath. It was over. David watched in silence as she ran into the crowd. Away from him and into someone else's arms.

* * *

Jack could feel his heart pounding as he stood, throwing his sack to someone in the crowd.

"Thanks for the advice Govenor. Like you said, I still got things to do. Besides I got family here." Jack said, shaking, Mr. Roosevelt's hand. Jack then hopped out of the carriage. He looked around the crowd searching for a certain person. He hadn't saw her on his way in, and he feared that he had missed her. He frantically looked over every head and smile as he moved through the boys. He was happy to see them, but he needed to see someone very important first.

Suddenly, he was attacked. His assailant had their arms wrapped around him, squeezing him so hard, he could hardly breath. He let out a laugh, knowing who it was. He looked down, putting his own arms around the person. She looked up at him, her eyes pouring tears down her face. He laced his hand through her tangled hair, looking at her lovingly.

"I know those tears ain't for me." He said. She let out a breathy laugh before shaking her head.

"I'm so glad you're back." She replied. He smiled down at her, pulling her to his chest.

"Of course I came back. You can't get rid of me that easy. " Jack said, using the line she had told him countless times. She pulled back, smiling up at him. He then looked up to where David stood, watching the two of them intensly. He didn't look angry, or depressed, he looked kind of happy. Jack pushed through the crowd, never letting Mattie go for a second. Jack stopped right in front of David.

"So, how's the headline today?" Jack asked. David laughed a small laugh before pulling his cap from his pocket.

"Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes." He said putting his hat on his head. Jack smiled and so did David. They may have both been fighting for the same girl, and one happened to have lost, but those two were friends. They would be lifelong buddies, and David would never let a girl come between that again. Even if that girl was Mattie Conrad. David and Jack spit shook, sealing the deal. Mattie grinned at the two of them, completely oblivious of what just happened.

Everyone cheered, completely overjoyed by the strike win, and the return of their friend. Jack still hadn't let go of Mattie, not that she was complaining. It wasn't until he loosened his grip did she turn to face him. He had a look of his face that she couldn't recognize. However, she had more pressing matters on her brain.

"So why did you come back?" She asked curiously. Jack shrugged.

"Mr. Roosevelt gave me some good advice." He said.

"Oh yeah? And what did he say?" She asked. Jack's eyes met hers and the two fell into a trance. Mattie felt her heart skip a beat and felt her breathing pick up at the closeness of the two.

"He told me to open my eyes. See what I had here." He answered.

"Oh." Was all Mattie could get out. Jack locked his hand into her hair, and put his other on her waist. He pulled her flush against his chest. His eyes flickered down to her lips before his turned up into a smile. Then, gravity pulled the two together. Their lips simply brushed for a second, before Jack crashed his lips onto hers. Mattie's eyes widened, surprised by his action. However, she soon melted into the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed, and her lips moving on their own accord. She could vaguely hear the cheers surrounding her, but they soon disappeared. It was as if they were the only two there.

Jack never imagined kissing her would feel that good. It sent a spark through his body, much more than her kiss on his cheek did. He had kissed a few other girls, but that was nothing compared to kissing Mattie. He smiled into the kiss, and felt her shiver under his touch. It was as if time stopped, and they could stay like that forever. However, Jack didn't get his wish because Mattie pulled away. He looked down at her, afraid he had done something wrong, but she look on her face told him otherwise. Both were in pure bliss staring at the other. They were two halves that completed a whole. They were soul mates, and they were in love.

"Sorry it took me so long." Jack whispered to her. Mattie smiled, still panting from their kiss. She placed her hands on his face and locked eyes with him.

"You're worth it." She replied before pulling his face back to hers. Another eruption of cheers rang through the air. David smiled as he watched them. Sure, it hurt, but he knew they were happy, and that's all he could ask for.

"Listen... theres's something I've been wanting to say..." Jack trailed off, after he pulled back from her kiss. He didn't know what to say or how to word it. He had never told a girl he loved her before. He was so nervous. He was never nervous!

"I love you too." Mattie whispered. Jack grinned widely. Mattie felt like her heart was going to explode. He loved her. Jack loved her! Her dreams had finally came true. She could be happy and never have to feel like she had to hide. Jack kissed her again, making sparks fly between them.

"Finally!" Racetrack yelled, causing Mattie to pull back. She blushed ferociously, but Jack just pulled her to his side.

Everything was perfect now. Everything was whole. And Mattie would never have to wait for her prince charming ever again.

_The End_

* * *

**OKAY! So, that's the end. Pretty much followed the storyline, but I thought it was a sweet ending. PLEASE READ THIS! So I have gotten a couple one shot yes's. However, I don't really have too many idea's for said one shots so I need some ideas! Please if you have any ideas of scenes I could put Jack or Mattie or anyone in please let me know. So, If I don't get any ideas for those one shots I won't waste my time. It's up to YOU my lovely reviewers. So let me know and tell me what you enjoyed, or didn't enjoy about the story! Thank you guys so much for keeping up with the story. I love each and every one of you! **

**XOXOXOXO**


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